Internet for All Peru (IpT) and Loon have reached an agreement to use high-altitude balloons in order to provide Internet access to parts of the Peruvian Amazon in 2020.
Loon and IpT will work together to serve parts of Loreto, one of the largest regions in the country, providing Movistar customers with mobile internet coverage.
According to
Osiptel, the Peruvian telecom regulator, Internet penetration in Loreto is 100 times lower than in Lima.
Loon and IpT will initially provide service in certain locations that make up around 15% of Loreto's area and where nearly 200,000 people live.
About a quarter of them lack 3G or better service, and many others lack any reliable mobile service at all outside of populated areas.
The deployment of Loon in Peru will make it the first country in Latin America to use this innovative connectivity solution on a sustained, non-emergency basis.
Loon-Telefonica collaboration in Peru started in 2014 when early tests of Loon's technology began.
In 2017, when
Coastal El Niño phenomenon floods ravaged parts of northern Peru, Loon worked with Telefonica to provide Internet connectivity to those in need in an area over 40,000 Km² in size.
Earlier this year, the two companies worked together to provide connectivity after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Peru.
(END) NDP/SPV/RMB/MVB
Published: 11/21/2019