Brazil launched a call to connect 8,000 schools that do not have access to the Internet

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian Ministry of Communications (MCom) and the National Research Network (RNP) launched a call for proposals to connect 8,000 public, urban and rural schools, spread throughout 1,760 municipalities, with fiber-optic Internet.

Five thousand rural schools and 3,000 schools located in urban areas will be offered connectivity services by telecommunications operators interested in installing, activating, operating, and maintaining these links.

During the last days of 2021, RNP received funds for almost US$40 million from the State to implement the Connection for Schools Project, but also others such as Infovia (Potiguar and Alagoas) and Internet Brasil.

At the time, Teletime had published a statement by Pilar Almeida, advisor to RNP’s general management, in which she explained that this was the third addendum signed between the social organization and the MCom and that it was part of an inter-ministerial program that carries out a series of initiatives with the Network.

In turn, the MCom had approved in Congress a complementary credit for almost US$28 million for connectivity actions, which were divided between the Conecta Brasil program and the infrastructure demanded by the North and Northeast Connected Projects.

In this case, the schools will receive fiber optic connectivity (FTTH), with an average cost of US$58 per month. Companies interested in applying to this call can see the terms and conditions in this link (in Portuguese).

It is also pertinent to remember that the 5G tender included the availability of spectrum for school connectivity, an initiative that is being developed simultaneously.