Antel to invest US$140mn in FTTH project this year

Uruguay's state run telco Antel expects to invest US$140mn to deploy fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology this year, local newspaper El País reported. During 2011 and 2012, the company invested US$110mn in its FTTH project, according to the report. By year-end capital Montevideo as well as the touristic coastal cities and all department capitals will have received the technology, Antel president Carolina Cosse was reported as saying. The company's goal is to have 500,000 homes connected by the end of the year, according to previous reports. Cosse also said that the FTTH project will involve 2,900 workers and 37 small and medium sized contractors. According to a map on Antel's website, the company is working to deploy FTTH in the cities of Atlántida, Colonia, Durazno, Fray Bentos, Las Piedras, Maldonado, Punta del Este, Melo, Mercedes, Minas, Pando, Progreso, Salto, San José, Treinta y Tres and Trinidad in the medium term. In capital Montevideo, Antel has already deployed FTTH in certain areas including Carrasco, Buceo, Malvín, Parque Batlle, Larrañaga, and Parque Rodó. Meanwhile, the telco is currently working to deploy the technology in Ciudad Vieja, Malvín Norte, Palermo and the city's port area. Antel enjoys a monopoly in the fixed telephony segment as well as fixed broadband.