Houses and sidewalk platforms in Leticia, Colombia. Photo: Wikimedia.

Since February, Axesat and an undisclosed cellular communications network operator have worked together to improve 3G voice and data service in Leticia, Colombia. According to Axesat, the service guarantees connectivity in the Colombian Amazon, an area with difficult geographic limitations and an approximate population of 76,000. The alliance ratifies satellite as the appropriate technology for these types of regions, which opens doors for its applications in other zones with similar characteristics.

This satellite cellular backhaul solution in Leticia becomes one of the largest solutions Axesat has implemented in the region, after those developed in the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador and Iquitos in Peru. Axesat predicts this type of service can eventually evolve into other kinds of solutions such as contingency or backup channels for communications.