Gilat extends service agreements with Colombian govt

Satellite networking technology and services provider Gilat Satellite Networks has extended its service agreements with the Colombian Ministry of Information Technology and Communications. The Colombian government has extended its Social Telecommunications Program ('Compartel') agreements for the provision of services under the Rural Communitarian Telephony (TRC I and TRC II) and Telecentros (TLC 3) projects for an additional nine-months period, through 30 September 2012. The extended service agreements are worth around USD 16 million. The Compartel service agreements are for projects that provide telephony and Internet access to remote communities throughout rural Colombia. The current extension of the agreements covers nearly 1,800 sites, benefiting over 4 million inhabitants residing in these rural areas with limited or no access to basic telecommunications services. These sites include telephony centres, small community internet access telecentres, known locally as CACI (Centro Acceso Comunitario a Internet) sites, and larger telecentres. The telecentres and CACI sites are equipped with computers, printers, scanners, faxes and webcams provided by Gilat. The telecenters and a majority of the CACI sites also include telephony services. Gilat was recently selected by the Colombian Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MINTIC) to provide broadband internet connectivity to over 1,600 schools throughout the country's rural regions. The project, also hosted by Compartel, is valued at approximately USD 18.5 million.