Military Deploys CDMA450 for Security, Rural Telephony"

Bolivia's military is deploying a CDMA450 fixed wireless network for use in national security issues and for providing rural telephony to isolated regions, lieutenant colonel Jhimmy Untiveros of the Bolivian air force told BNamericas.

The platform integrates into an existing satellite microwave backbone, the CDMA technology - supplied by Chinese telecoms equipment vendor Huawei - delivering last mile access in the 450Mhz band.

The military will use the network to deliver free voice, data, and video services to locations that currently lack any sort of telecommunications services, Untiveros said.

"Our priorities are our borders, and rural areas," Untiveros said.

The initial investment for the project will run around US$15mn dollars, with an estimated US$8mn annual cost once it is up and running. Part of the budget comes in the form of financial assistance from the Chinese government, though a specific figure was not available.

The project requires full congressional approval and awaits further funding, but the goal is to have the network operational by mid-2008.

For Untiveros, the project is an important priority for the government since it addresses both universal access issues in small communities as well as providing the military with a flexible communication platform.

Bolivia's government has been taking an ever more active role in the delivery of telecommunications services, using the quality of rural telecoms services and the level of investments as an argument for action.

By way of example, the government recently fined mobile operator Entel US$3.6mn for not meeting investment goals for rural areas. The government is currently making moves to nationalize the company by buying the 50% share owned by Europe's Telecom Italia.

According to Untiveros, the regions where the military will offer the service are areas that do not draw the interest of privately owned telcos because they would not provide a return on investment."

Posted to the site on 24th May 2007