“Internet for All” to benefit 6 million Peruvians with 4G mobile internet and close digital divide by 2021

Telefónica del Perú, IDB Invest, CAF–development bank of Latin America– and Facebook announced the creation and launch of a company called “Internet for All” (IPT) which aims to connect 6 million Peruvians without Movistar mobile internet access from now until the bicentennial.

The city of Moya, at more than 3,000 meters above sea level, was chosen as the venue for the official launch of IPT. From today until the end of the year, a total of 1,700 towns in Huancavelica will have 4G mobile internet access, integrating these communities into the rest of the country and the world.

Also, with the start-up of this company, connection will come at an average pace of 27 locations connected with mobile internet each day throughout Peru until the end of the year. IPT’s goal is to connect 30,000 populated centers by the end of the bicentennial.

The announcement was made in the context of Telefónica’s 25th anniversary of operations in Peru. “With great enthusiasm about the future, we come to the city of Moya in Huancavelica to reiterate our intention to contribute to the digital transformation required by the nation for greater economic and social development. We look to the future under the premise of an even greater commitment to helping in joint public-private sector efforts to continue working on technology paths to expand internet access, but mainly knowledge and greater opportunities for more Peruvians,” said Pedro Cortez, CEO of Telefónica del Perú.

Cortez recalled that IPT emerged as a global partnership between Telefónica and Facebook to overcome the obstacles to bringing connectivity to rural areas and geographically complex regions. Starting in 2019, two new partners, IDB Invest and CAF, joined the project, thus creating a new operator of open access rural telecommunications infrastructure that started operations in Peru last May.

Luis Carranza, CAF executive president, stressed: “Closing the digital divide is key to driving economic and social development in Latin America. Innovative initiatives such as the Internet for All not only increase network coverage and speed, but also offer digital services in education, health and financial inclusion, which will improve the quality of life of the rural population, in Peru initially, and in the rest of the region in the medium term.”

Dan Rabinovitsj, Vice President of Connectivity at Facebook said, “The official launch of IPT Peru today brings us one step closer to achieving our mission of bringing more people online to a faster internet. Together with our IPT partners, we hope to demonstrate that shared open access infrastructure for retail wireless services can help operators provide cost-effective connectivity in rural areas.”

“For IDB Invest, digital connectivity in rural areas is one of the keys to the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The IPT model is an innovative solution that reduces the digital divide. Its implementation prevents many people in the region from being excluded from digital services, which they can use to achieve greater economic and social development,” said Gema Sacristán, Chief Investment Officer at IDB Invest

Finally, Teresa Gomes, CEO of Internet for All, noted: “IPT is an open access telecommunications infrastructure operator that aims to bring the 100 million unconnected people in Latin America into the digital world. Peru is pioneer in implementing an innovative mobile broadband deployment in remote areas, which will serve as an experience to export the model to different countries in the region.” 

Noteworthy is that IPT has been established in Peru as a Rural Mobile Infrastructure Operator (OIMR), and thus, through a wholesale model it will offer access to Movistar and other mobile operators who wish to use their telecommunications infrastructure to provide communication services in rural areas.

Gomes also said that a model of disruptive technologies is being deployed, which transforms today’s networks into infrastructure capable of providing high-speed mobile internet services in areas where traditional deployment has been limited mainly due to geographical and economic barriers. “I want to thank our partners, Telefónica, Facebook, IDB Invest and CAF for their trust. Thanks to their commitment, we have connected more than 4,000 rural communities in Peru, which are now enjoying the opportunities that technology brings, and we expect to close 2019 including more than 1 million Peruvians living in rural areas into the digital world, benefiting approximately 27 locations per day,” Gomes added.

Benefits of connectivity

As part of IPT’s Official Launch program, a visit was made to school I.E. 360051 in Moya to show first-hand how technology and connectivity can help improve education. Fifth and sixth grade students attended a class with Juan Cadillo, considered one of the 50 best teachers in the world according to The Global Teacher Prize 2017, who showed the advantages of digital tools in learning through the use of Fundación Telefónica’s Oráculo Matemágico app.

Then, from the main square of Moya they made a video call to the city of Atalaya, in Ucayali, which has had 4G internet since August of last year as part of the pilot phase of IPT deployment. The video conference included testimonies from Atalaya residents explaining how the arrival of high-speed internet brought a real benefit in education, health and business to the population.

At another point in the ceremony, Pedro Cortez, CEO of Telefónica de Perú, noted that thanks to IPT, the residents of Moya will be able to leverage the digital tools to boost tourism, and he made reference to “Moya te espera” (Moya awaits you), a fan page on Facebook that will showcase Moya’s tourist attractions for everyone. The administration of this fan page was granted to the team of the Provincial Municipality, together with a set of tutorials to facilitate administration.

The official launch of IPT was held at a public ceremony that featured Pedro Cortez, CEO of Telefónica, Teresa Gomes, CEO of Internet for All, the regional governor of Huancavelica, Maciste Diaz; Marcelino Rojas, District Mayor of Moya; Nathan South, Facebook Program Lead; Gema Sacristán, Chief Investment Officer at IDB Invest; Viviana Caro, Representative of the IDB Group in Peru; Elizabeth Martinez, Director of Equity Investments at CAF; Pedro Ravelo, Senior Executive of CAF Representation in Peru; Bernardo Quinn, CEO of Telefónica’s Hispam Sur; Gonzalo Martín-Villa, Chief Innovation Officer at Telefónica; José Juan Haro, Director of Public Policy and Wholesale Business-Latam at Telefónica; Dennis Fernández, Vice President of the B2B Segment at Telefónica del Perú; Milagros Montenegro, Vice President of Strategy and Public Affairs, Telefónica del Perú; and Álvaro Valdez, Director of Institutional Relations, Communication and Corporate Sustainability at Telefónica del Perú.