KVD in Baru, Colombia, one of the remote areas served by the service. Photo: Ministerio TIC Colombia

[Via Satellite 03-04-2014] Hughes Network Systems has teamed with Colombia-based Anditel to deliver high-speed Internet service to schoolchildren in remote areas of Colombia. This initiative is part of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communication’s (MinTIC) Vive Digital program to help bridge the country’s digital divide.

Hughes will provide its HX System and broadband satellite terminals for more than 1,000 Vive Digital kiosks (KVDs) across the country. The Internet service will primarily be for students but, after school hours, the KVDs will also be available for additional service to the local community. The Hughes solution is configured with rates of more than 6 Mbps downstream and more than 1.5 Mbps upstream to schools within the Anditel-serviced region.

“We partnered with Hughes for the Vive Digital program due to the lower operating costs of their extensive satellite network,” said Francisco Navarro, president of Anditel. “The Hughes HX System is highly bandwidth efficient, giving us the best possible economy and performance, as well as being very easy to install and manage.”