Regulator the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), the government of Spain and Spanish company Hispasat have signed a collaboration agreement to explore the participation of the Dominican Republic in the development of a joint project to share space-based telecommunications infrastructures.
The objective, the partners say, is to provide the Dominican Republic with a sovereign digital infrastructure that allows it to improve connectivity in regions that are difficult to access.
It’s not entirely clear yet how the project will enable the deployment and use of satellite infrastructure, but Indotel says this agreement lays the foundations for the creation of a sort of two-nation round table that will identify the current and future needs for satellite connectivity in the Dominican Republic, especially in rural areas.
The aim is that, through this cooperative initiative, concrete projects that integrate space technology into the strengthening of essential public services will be evaluated.
Guido Gómez Mazara, president of the Board of Directors of Indotel, explains: “Allowing the most vulnerable to have access to the internet is a decision that seeks to generate equal opportunities; the satellite component will also be crucial in border areas."
The project has the technical and financial support of the Spanish government. It also incorporates the experience of Hispasat as a leading operator in satellite solutions in Latin America.
With the signing of this agreement, six Latin American countries have already joined the preliminary studies to implement this project: Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, along with the twenty-one countries – fifteen member states and six associate members – of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
