Iskratel top of the world with Potosí fibre-optic deployment

Just as western European communications operators struggle to make the case for rolling out gigabit broadband networks to rural parts of technologically advanced countries, the residents of a Bolivian city sitting over 4km above sea level are to receive a fibre broadband connection thanks to the deployment of gigabit passive optical network (GPON) broadband.

Potosí is the world’s highest city at 4,090 metres above sea level, resting at the foot of its Cerro Rico (rich mountain) that rises up to 4,800 metres. The city was once one of the richest in the world, and in 1650 its population exceeded cities such as London, Seville, Madrid, Rome or Paris.

The amount of silver coming from Cerro Rico turned the city of Potosí into the hub of the world economy. Potosí was the location of one of the most important coin factories, which supplied the precious metal to many countries under the motto Worth a Potosí. Today, Potosí is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

In collaboration with its Latin-American partner Teleserv Group Bolivia, Slovenian sustainable broadband access solutions provider Iskratel is implementing the high-speed optical broadband network for Potosí service provider Cotap Ltda.

The deployment will see the implementation of Iskratel’s SI3000 Lumia GPON Optical Line Terminals (OLTs), along with Innbox G85 and Innbox G74 Optical Network Terminals (ONT) at customer premises. The deployment will serve thousands of Potosí residents and is complemented by Iskratel’s Virtual IMS and unified communications solutions.

“In Potosí, a city with such fascinating history, life has never been easy,” said Juan Francisco Flores, legal representative of Cotap. “The deployment of an optical broadband network not only delivers new connectivity to our residents and businesses, but also opens up an array of business opportunities that the city and its people have not had possible before.”

Svjetlana Kalaba, director of business unit broadband at Iskratel, added: “Bringing fibre connectivity to the people of Potosí, the highest city in the world, fills us with profound pride. We were able to achieve this together with the support and help from our partners and friends at Cotap and Teleserv. We truly are taking reliable and ultrafast connectivity to the summit.”