Internet access is very important to the people of Central America and beyond. Everyone wants the newest technology, faster internet and more reliability. But there are still many countries in the Central American region that still face connectivity limitations and have a need for internet access. The region is rapidly developing and growing in demand for connectivity. Internet household penetration is expected to reach 50% of households in 2020. So there is still more to do to meet the rising demands for digital growth.

Access to reliable broadband internet connectivity allows for economic growth, more productivity, and the ability to bring everyone closer together—even people living in remote areas. And while the benefits of broadband connectivity are known, they depend on the infrastructure available to fulfill them.

A uniquely powerful partnership

At COMNET, we’ve seen an increasing need to reach and connect businesses all over Central America, especially in hard-to-reach places, and deliver a reliable service that will enable businesses to grow. To make this possible, we’re constantly thinking about innovation. Our partnership with SES is a great fit—with a pioneer for new technology, we’re able to explore better ways to connect our customers.

We first partnered with SES ten years ago and during this period we have successfully expanded the reach of our own network. Today, we’re provided with a full suite of enterprise tools to help us strategically grow our business. And with SES’s dedicated support, we truly feel like one team working closely together to reach our business goals and resolve issues quickly.

We feel that our value proposition with SES is unique. Our partnership allows us to serve a wider range of industries and provide business solutions that we weren’t able to offer our customers before. And with satellite-enabled connectivity, our services are faster and easier to deploy than anything our competitors are currently offering. Together, we’re already looking to the future of what’s to come in 2021-2022. That’s the kind of partner we value: one who is thinking about the future of our region.

Delivering fast and reliable connectivity

SES Networks enables the delivery of our QUANTTUM broadband service. It’s a game-changer. They provide us with a competitive service that is a step up when it comes to performance and pricing. Now, we can focus on providing better value for our customers, enabling them to grow their business faster and across a wider region.

Our customers have experienced and given us positive feedback on the benefits that have come from QUANTTUM. Businesses have noticed a significant increase in speeds, which is helping to improve their productivity. And the service comes with a lot of features that allow us to customise our offering to exactly what each customer needs. QUANTUM gives us the ability to dynamically allocate bandwidth. Because of this level of control and optimisation, we can deliver only what our customers need and keep their operational costs low. The money they save is able to go back into their business growth and further benefit the economy.

Meeting the demand for digitalisation

The fast, reliable, and easy-to-deploy internet access that we provide is in high demand across Central America. In many industries here, there’s a movement towards greater digitalisation. We have customers in the agro-industry, energy, construction, banking, tourism industries and more. Now, we’re able to serve them better.

One of the greatest strengths of satellite connectivity is that it overcomes the limitations presented by terrestrial infrastructure. Our customers—and Central America in general—benefit from the fact that we can deploy highly reliable networks without destroying the land in the ways it would be if we had to lay cables.

Many regions are home to historical and culturally significant sites, so the environmentally friendly aspect of satellite is very valuable to our customers, especially those in the agro-industry, infrastructure, and tourism industries.

• For farmers, food producers and distributors, internet connectivity creates new opportunities and improves quality of life. With advanced capabilities for using smart tools, farmers can optimise production processes and monitor factors that influence crop performance. When farmers can increase their productivity, food availability is improved and the benefits are felt by the wider population.
• In Central America, we have many archaeological sites that are major research areas and tourist attractions that require preservation. Terrestrial infrastructure is simply not an option. Our customers in tourism enjoy the connectivity we offer via satellite. Because of its high performance and reach, it improves internet access for visitors, giving them a better experience, while maintaining the quality of the sites. Most recently, this high-speed satellite broadband connectivity delivered by SES Networks and COMNET has become the backbone of modern-day archaeology in our region, helping to uncover the ancestral legacy of the Maya civilization.

Innovating for a brighter future

We envision a bright, digital future for all Central Americans. One of our proudest contributions to the future of the region has been our first CSR initiative with SES. This project brought technology and educational resources to the Canalitos Elementary School in Guatemala. We sponsored and supplied 30 refurbished computers, working together with the ministry of education to deliver an extensive library of materials. With our contributions, students gained access to online textbooks, health guides (for regions without access to healthcare), teacher’s tools, world books, videos, games, and more.

Our intention is to measure the success and recreate this initiative, extending it to more and more schools in the country. This will increase the quality of education and quality of life for underserved communities, starting with young people coming up in school.

We believe in removing boundaries and bringing our communities closer together. Better connectivity and communication are important to helping the region be more productive, be more developed, and improve quality of life. Through our continued partnership with SES, we hope to ensure that everyone, no matter where they are located, has access to similar opportunities.