The Government of Panama is promoting a project that puts the forefront in Latin America to provide free internet to the Panamanians through an open signal and wireless technology, from next October.
The secretary of government innovation, Eduardo Jaen, told EFE that the project of "national network of internet access" was approved last August and awarded on Sept. 2 in a best value proposal to the Panamanian company Liberty Technology Corp. , for a total of $ 25.5 million.
He explained that two other companies made proposals, but those presented by Liberty were more attractive because it includes 405 points of connection even in indigenous areas.
Funds for this proposal will come in part from the 1 percent of the revenues that telcos have to provide the State, under the rules that were established with the privatization of this sector in the late 90s.
The Government hopes that the network becomes operational on 10 October in ten cities and 200 access points to benefit 1.5 million Panamanians in its first phase.
The program provides reach when fully operational from 2.3 million to about 3.3 million Panamanians.
Between the connection points are schools, health centers, parks and tourist sites, libraries, sports centers, fire stations, police, hospitals and training institutions and government educational training.
"This is a project that really is targeted to the stratum with less economic potential of the country to give you access to the world of cyberspace and to reduce the digital divide, especially between urban and rural sectors of the country," Jaen.
The plan, the official said, aims to enable students to have a tool to access international gateways for their homework and research.
The second phase will include seven hubs in the region Ngobe Bugle indigenous, west of Panama City and two in the Comarca Embera, east of the capital, like the Kuna Yala, northwest of the country the border with Colombia.
The official emphasized that the first time included in a project like this the territories of indigenous populations, which are the areas' most remote, less accessible and less connectivity. "
Jaén explained that wireless technology platform to be used for the national network of Internet access is the same that was used in the U.S. city of Baltimore.
"No country in Central America has announced a project of this size, and we will be the first in Latin America to have a system of these nationally," said Jaén.
He acknowledged that there are countries where similar models exist but only for certain cities, like Uruguay, "who have nothing more to focal points of urban concentration or tourism."
"We have it nationally, and our approach is essentially social," he said.
He said that what gives "very confident" this project is the ability of the contractor who was awarded the contract to five years, as is supported in the network design and equipment for U.S. technology companies Cisco Systems and Intel .
He also clarified that the project is not at odds with private enterprise because it aims at providing basic Internet access at the national level but not at high speeds with a speed limit of 256 Kbps in its first phase and the possibility of growing to 512 Kbps .
He said experience shows that young people and families will have better and greater demand for services, such as higher speed and that somehow that will encourage private enterprise offers them at competitive prices.
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