In 2021, Antel invested 20 million dollars more than in 2020, totaling US$145 million, allocating 85% of the funds to towns with more than 5,000 inhabitants and replacing obsolete copper lines with fiber optics that It offers much more bandwidth, more speed and more stability in the connection.
Antel has proposed to replace all copper wiring with fiber optics by 2024.
Additionally, considerable investment was made in the installation of 4G antennas to improve the coverage and speed of data transmission, as well as in the modernization of the information system and the preparation of the network for 5G technology, according to a statement released by the business.
In general, the Uruguayan state company projects investments of US$172 million in the deployment of fiber and the gradual launch of 5G in 2022.
Leader in coverage
Antel is the leading telecommunications company in Uruguay, competing against two foreign companies that have minority stakes. According to data from the Regulatory Unit for Energy and Water Services (URSEA), it has most of the more than 11,980 kilometers of fiber optics deployed nationwide.
Montevideo, with 2,000km, and Canelones, with 1,411km, are the regions with the largest amount of fiber optics installed. A plan is currently underway to take it to 44 locations that are still connected by copper.
Canelones is the department that concentrates the most investment, with an endowment of US$16 million planned for 2022, double what was invested in 2021.
Of the budget allocated for Canelones, US$3.6 million will be used to strengthen the capacity of 74 base stations. In addition, 24 sites have been identified where the company will deploy new mobile telephony infrastructure.
It is followed by Montevideo, which in 2021 received US$9 million and this year will receive modernization and maintenance for a similar amount.
In the interior, the company plans to install fiber optics in Playa Hermosa, Playa Verde, La Capuera, Balneario Solís, Aiguá, Punta Colorada, San Francisco and Cerro Pelado de Maldonado. To this figure, US$3 million will be added for additional works related to submarine cables.
