On July 16, in the City of Manaus, the Connected Amazon initiative was officially launched, with the presence of the ministers for Defense, Jaques Wagner, for Communications, Ricardo Berzoini, and for Science, Technology and Innovation, Aldo Rebelo, in addition to the State of Amazonas governor, José Melo de Oliveira, military authorities and RNP’s representatives.

The inter-agency program that uses the Amazon basin riverbeds to install an optical fiber network was introduced by the head of the Integrated Telematics Center of the Army (CITEx/EB), general Decílio Salles. By describing Connected Amazon as “the main branch where connectivity will be launched”, he demonstrated the Brazilian Army’s (EB) concern with distribution and cost-effectiveness. “We carried out an analysis of low-cost optical cables to connect intermediary towns, for the large-scale distribution of internet”, he highlighted. 

He also commented that it would be feasible to decrease the cost of the main cable by 50%, through an international bidding round. The possibility was celebrated by the minister for Defense, who stressed that such decrease to the material purchase costs would cut the ministry’s investment in the initiative by half. “There are over 200 km until the city of Tefé and we will get there. The investment means nothing if compared to what it represents”, he said.

“Connected Amazon is a perfect fit to Marshal Rondon’s conception of handling communications as a fundamental issue. It is our obligation to connect the Amazon region with the proper technology”, minister Ricardo Berzoini argued, drawing attention to the commemoration of the 150th birthday of the Brazilian military official and explorer, patron of the Army’s Communications Arsenal.

RNP’s role in the initiative was highlighted by minister Aldo Rebelo. He also assured that “the MCTI (Department of Science, Technology and Innovation) will support all actions aiming at developing and integrating the Amazon”. “This ceremony is greatly important, for it is a moment of celebration not only for the Amazon’s population, but for the entire country”, he added.

Finally, the governor of the State of Amazonas stated that the presence of three ministers in the ceremony was “a due evidence of support from the President (to the initiative)”. “Here we have oil, natural gas, diversity, luminosity and one people. This program will provide the population with the opportunity for services in the health, telemedicine, education and security segments”.

To close the ceremony, the authorities spoke by videoconference from the Amazon Military Command, the site of the event, with a researcher from the Amazonas State University (Universidade do Estado do Amazonas - UEA), using a sub-fluvial extension to the Manaus Metropolitan Network, MetroMAO. With high quality, the videoconference demonstrated the use of the sub-fluvial optical cable, placed on the bed of the Negro River for an extension of 10 km, on April 7 and 8, as a concept test. Since then, the interconnection has been working, transmitting information for up to 100 Gbps without technical issues.

RNP, the Brazilian Army, Companhia de Processamento de Dados do Amazonas S/A (Prodam), the Department of Science and Technology of the State of Amazonas and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Ipaam) are partners in the initiative launched, which shall bring connectivity in multiple gigabits initially for military organizations, teaching and research institutions, state public bodies and to serve the population in the countryside of the State of Amazonas.