The Colombian Ministry of Telecommunications (MinTIC) selected SkyNet to install, operate and maintain five free Wi-Fi hotspots in Leticia to connect residents, as well as a high-speed dedicated broadband service for the local hospital’s medical and administrative teams to carry out telemedicine sessions and other eHealth activities to effectively respond to the crisis. These Wi-Fi hot spots were installed in the following health centres: Hospital San Rafael, Gobernación del Amazonas, Centro de Epidemiología, Laboratorio de salud Pública Departamental, En la sede de la RTVC. SkyNet has been leveraging SES services since 2015 to bring broadband services to Colombia’s Amazon region, delivering high-speed internet access in Leticia empowering the local community, businesses and tourism industry. SkyNet and SES, through its O3b non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite constellation, have extended their partnership and increased network capacity within days to support COVID-19 mitigation efforts. SkyNet could thus deliver reliable connectivity services to households and businesses in Leticia and enable access to e-learning platforms for local students impacted by COVID-19. Residents and public institutions located in the two major cities of the remote department Amazonas have thus experienced efficient, reliable and high-performing Internet connectivity.

ICT Tools used: SkyNet and SES offer managed connectivity services delivered via a hybrid combination of geostationary (GSO) and NGSO satellites to provide broadband, internet and trunking services in the extreme south of the country. The five Wi-Fi free access hot spots allow the medical teams of the San Rafael Hospital in Leticia to share diagnostics and patients’ information with other health. The Wi-Fi area around the local hospital of San Rafael de Leticia is provided via microwave antennas communicating with SES-14 GSO HTS satellite, in Ku-band. Skynet also provides a Wi-Fi hotspot in an additional zone, Puerto Nariño, as a 100% private initiative.

https://www.ses.com/press-release/skynet-de-colombia-and-ses-networks-ramp-connectivity-services-aid-worst-hit-covid-19

• Colombia

• Youth
• Women
• Medical staff, international health professionals

This project is likely replicable in all areas covered by SES satellites to the limits of the available capacity of the satellites.

This project essentially relies on commercial agreements between private undertakings, with national government funding for Leticia and the Hospital; therefore, the demand has made it sustainable based on existing satellite coverage and available capacity.

By implementing this project, we are promoting the following WSIS values in our community: C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development; C2. Information and communication infrastructure; C3. Access to information and knowledge; C4. Capacity building; C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life — E-business, E-learning and E-health.