By Angelica
Mari for Brazil Tech
The
Brazilian government has committed to invest R$15bn ($3.97bn) in the creation
and improvement of broadband projects.
The
resources will be distributed as tax relief across the 1167 projects submitted
by companies as part of a tendering process coordinated by the Ministry of
Communications as part of the Special Taxation Regime of the National Broadband
Program, a scheme created to stimulate the deployment and expansion of the
Brazilian broadband network.
Some 3.699
Brazilian cities will benefit from the projects, but the state of São Paulo
attracted R$4.6bn ($1.2bn) of the investment total, followed by the two other
states located in the wealthy southeast region of Brazil: Minas Gerais, with
R$1.8bn ($477,000) of investments and Rio de Janeiro, with R$965.000
($256.025).
In terms of
specific project areas, about 80 percent of investments will go towards access
networks, which connect users to their immediate service provider. The remainder
will mostly fund projects related to the equipment and fibers handling the
physical transport of signals, commonly referred to as transport networks.
The
broadband infrastructure projects approved by the Ministry of Communications
have a completion deadline of December 2016.
Ongoing
efforts
Earlier this
year, the Brazilian government had promised a revamped national broadband
plan, with more government investment and the creation of "synergies"
between the public and private sectorto deliver improved Internet access
services across the country.
Despite the
recession Brazil is currently experiencing, large communications projects
such as the development of the country's broadband infrastructure and the
construction of the country's own satellite have been spared from the budget
cuts that have been announced over recent months.
Research
suggests that not even half of all Brazilian households have access to
broadband, the main obstacle being the cost of high-speed Internet access
services.
But providing
cheaper and faster broadband services is a priority for Brazilian president
Dilma Rousseff, who set that goal as part of her campaign pledges, adding
that broadening the fiber optic infrastructure of the country was a
cornerstone of that plan.
Earlier this
year, the Communications minister Maximiliano Martinhão disclosed government
plans to roll out fiber optic technology across at least 90 percent of the
country. Meanwhile,Google is backing the construction of a massive submarine
fiber optic cable linking Brazil to the United States, while another cable will
link Brazil to Africa and a third undersea link will connect the
country with Europe.