IpT Peru will connect rural communities throughout Peru by enabling any mobile network operator to use its 3G and 4G infrastructure to deliver high quality retail mobile communication services, said the partners, who are hoping the success of the venture in Peru will pave the way to replicate this type of business model in other countries on Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Telefonica’s local subsidiary (Telefonica del Peru) is contributing and opening its existing rural business to IpT Peru while Facebook, IDB Invest and CAF are investing in the venture with the goal of upgrading existing voice services and building new sites to deliver fast mobile Internet coverage in a wholesale Network as a Service model (NaaS). The agreement is subject to regulatory approval.
The partners added that IpT will look to achieve economic sustainability through partnerships with local communities and by using open technologies that will reduce the cost of deployment in areas where current technologies are cost prohibitive. These include cloud-like architectures, automated network planning, open radio access solutions (Open RAN) and a combination of optimised fibre and microwave networks.
