Chile’s telecommunications regulator Subtel said it has signed an agreement with infrastructure fund Desarrollo Pais and the regional government of the southern region of Magallanes to analyse possibility of rolling out a submarine fibre-optic cable connecting Antarctica with the rest of the world through Chile. The deal paves the way for a market consultation process on the future preparation of a technical, legal, economic and financial feasibility study, said Subtel, adding that the proposed route would cover a distance of around 1,000 kilometres from Puerto Williams to King George Island.
According to Subtel, Chile’s existing infrastructure in Puerto Williams on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago gives it a clear advantage over other continents, in that the facilities already available at the corresponding landing station provide a unique opportunity for the deployment of an undersea fibre-optic cable across the Southern Ocean.
The infrastructure is part of the country’s 'Fibra Optica Austral' backbone project to roll out nearly 4,622 km of fibre-optic infrastructure in the Patagonia region, allowing the construction of a high-capacity digital channel for the development of all types of activities in Antarctica.
Subtel last month formally launched the search for partners for another undersea cable, the Humboldt Transoceanic Cable project to connect the country with Oceania and Asia.
