In the spotlight: 3 state telecoms development schemes in Brazil

Norte Conectado

Norte Conectado aims to turn the Amazon river into a connectivity highway – laying a total of 12 million km of fibre under and around the world’s largest river in order to improve connectivity to 59 cities and underserved regions in Northern Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The first phase, connecting Santarém to Manaus, opened in August 2023, and thee will be six further phases delivered to a cost of R$1.34bn ($220m).

Nordeste Conectado

A similar name but a different type of project. Given the northeast region’s higher population density than the north of Brazil, this project focuses on delivering 100 Gbps connectivity along a trunk route to serve cities in six northeastern states (Bahia, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, and Rio Grande do Norte). As of 2024 the majority of the work had been completed, but there are still several areas to be connected as part of the programme.

Cidades Digitais

Cidades Digitais, or Digital Cities, is a programme to bolster connectivity among Brazil’s public bodies. Its four planks are building fibre links between local government agencies, providing e-government applications to city halls, offering digital upskilling to government employees, and providing internet access points in public places. As of November 2024 the programme has been rolled out to 198 cities across Brazil, most of them in the northeast of the country.