The Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications (MinTIC) announced that it awarded the contract with the Temporary Union ETB Net Colombia Conectada (made up of ETB and SKYNET). This is how this new contract guarantees the installation of 6,589 Digital Centers in 567 municipalities of 15 departments (Amazonas, Arauca, Bolívar, Boyacá, Casanare, Cauca, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Nariño, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Vichada) and Bogotá DC
(Government will leave the digital centers project underway).
It should be remembered that this new contract was awarded after the MinTIC liquidated that of Populated Centers and simultaneously actions were initiated to recover the advance of $70,000 million.
“After a technical, rigorous, diligent process and in accordance with the law, today we formalize, for the public, the award to the Temporary Union ETB NET COLOMBIA CONECTADA as the new operator of Digital Centers for the so-called Region B. We make this announcement in compliance with the commitment of the Ministry of ICT to guarantee continuity in the process of bringing the Internet to rural areas of the country”, said Carmen Ligia Valderrama Rojas, ICT Minister.
(ETB and SkyNet will connect rural schools in the country).
According to the specifications explained by the MinTIC, the start of the operation phase of the first 1,545 Digital Centers will be in December 2022. Meanwhile, the duration of the project is ten (10) years and six (6) months of free internet, that is, the completion date will be in December 2032.
Regarding the recovery of the public money committed to the expired contract, the ICT Ministry stressed that, based on the declaration of expiration and subsequent liquidation, “The coercive collection processes continue and in them we have made progress in the seizure of goods and sums of money from the members of the Temporary Union of Populated Centers of Colombia 2020. Similarly, it is important to highlight that the constitutional, criminal, disciplinary and prosecutorial, are still underway”.
WHAT ARE DIGITAL CENTERS?
They are spaces where the internet access service is provided, installed mainly in public educational establishments and venues, located in rural and/or remote areas of the country. These Digital Centers have two Wi-Fi wireless access zones: an ‘interior’ one that will benefit the public institution and another ‘exterior’ that will provide free connectivity, benefiting the surrounding community, as long as you have a device with WiFi technology, with which can be connected.
BRIEFCASE
