Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) provider Gilat Satellite Networks of Petah Tikva, Israel, will supply satellite network hardware and services to the Colombian government under a three-and-one-half-year contract valued at $99 million, according to a Dec. 18 press release from Gilat.
Columbia’s Ministry of Information and Technology, a longtime Gilat customer, will use the network to provide connectivity to rural communities and schools under its Kioscos Digitales project. The deal includes 10 months of Internet and telephony deployment, plus three years of connectivity and training services at more than 1,900 kiosks in two regions, the press release said.
The Kioscos Digitales initiative aims to connect 100 percent of Columbia’s communities with populations of 100 or more with telephone and Internet services by 2014, the press release said.
