Satellite Internet Access in Bolivia

Satellite Internet Access Service

Bolivia is a landlocked country located in western-central South America and is the fifth largest country in the region. It is a country with diverse geography with the Andes in the west, lowlands in the east and the vast Amazon Basin. Bolivia is bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile and Peru. One third of the country lies in the Andes mountain range. The economy of Bolivia is largely based upon natural gas. In fact, the country has the second largest reserves of natural gas in South America and Bolivia actually sells gas to Brazil. The country is also home to large amounts of lithium reserves, located under salt flats and the government is currently in the process of establishing whether the lithium can be removed without disturbing the salt flats above. Ores and precious metals are also plentiful in Bolivia.

Bolivia has a population of 11 million people, with a great deal of that number living in remote areas. This has had an effect on the penetration of the Internet due to the dispersed nature of the population and difficulty in rolling out connectivity to remote regions. In 2017, Bolivia had an Internet penetration of 44.1%. The telecommunications infrastructure in Bolivia is in need of improvement in order to reach the pockets of the population that are currently unconnected. Fixed mobile in the country is expensive and offers slow speeds. These services are also not widely available and Bolivia’s landlocked situation also means that it does not have easy access to submarine connectivity. However, as in many other countries across Latin America, mobile phone ownership is high, and emphasis has been placed on the rollout of mobile infrastructure for broadband delivery.

The incumbent operator in Bolivia, Entel, has initiated a project called ‘Territory with Total Coverage’ which aims to increase mobile voice and data coverage as mobile is preferred over fixed services. In Bolivia, the majority of the population access the Internet, where available, using a smartphone. However, investment in rural areas is scarce as Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) do not see these remote areas as profitable.

VSAT Solutions for Bolivia

In order to expand these cellular networks into rural areas, operators can consider satellite as a cost-effective and easily scalable solution that will enable them to tap into this very lucrative market. Independent of infrastructure, VSAT systems can be established anywhere, no matter how remote the location. BusinessCom Network’s cellular backhaul solution permits the delivery of voice and data services over VSAT. Increasing amounts of MNOs are turning to VSAT as a solution and Businesscom’s technology optimises capacity as the solution is based upon dedicated SCPC circuits to connect remote towers to a central aggregation point. Our solutions can reduce bandwidth by as much as 80%.

Additionally, VSAT solutions can provide important connectivity to industry. With Bolivia’s natural resource sector as an important part of the economy, satellite-based connectivity can enable more streamlined operations, even in remote areas where mining and other activities happen.

We work with you to tailor the best solution for your requirements. We understand that any solution employed must be profitable. The BusinessCom team is highly knowledgeable in the deployment of cellular backhaul networks in remote regions and will design a flexible network that can grow as your business grows. There is a cost-effective solution that will allow even the most remote areas to enjoy mobile voice and broadband across Bolivia. Satellite provides immediate solutions to connectivity challenges so that Bolivians everywhere can enjoy the connectivity they need.

BusinessCom offers the following satellite internet services in Bolivia: