
Colombia's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (Mintic) said it has finally awarded a contract to connect thousands of schools in digital divide areas to the ETB Net, a temporary union made up of Bogota-based operator ETB and its subsidiary SkyNet. In a statement, ICT Minister Karen Abudinen said it cancelled the initial contract awarded to the Centros Poblados consortium after it failed to offer sufficient guarantees and would be working to recover the amounts already paid to the bidder.
A total of COP 2.1 trillion (around USD 588 million) has been allocated to the rural connectivity plan to provide internet access at schools via digital centres or free connection points until at least 2031. ETB Net has been tasked with connecting some 14,745 public educational institutions in rural areas of 16 Colombian departments.