High-quality connectivity is now a reality for Ipiales, Nariño

Fiber optic solutions are offering a quality service with higher speeds available to the people of Ipiales.

Furukawa Electric LatAm, the manufacturer of complete solutions for communication network infrastructure, has been selected by UNIMOS SA to boost its business through the implementation of 100% fiber-optic solutions in the municipality of Ipiales, Nariño, Colombia, where it seeks to satisfy the needs of its users and customers through the provision of Internet services.

UNIMOS S.A E.S.P. is a local Internet provider (ISP) dedicated to telecommunications, which seeks to satisfy the needs of its users and customers through the provision of Internet services. Being a 100% public municipal company, the corporate objectives of this ISP are a continuous improvement of the services provided, the efficiency of its resources, appropriate use of new technologies, and above all, to offer social alternatives for Internet access.

With the joint work between UNIMOS and Furukawa Electric, this project achieved a change in technology in the municipality’s telecommunications networks, to meet the high demand in terms of Internet speed for users in this population. Thanks to this change in networks and with the new implementation, the company was able to provide high capacity in the use of the service, a greater range of expansion, and a reduction in the volume of fibers used, resulting in greater bandwidth and speed.

Juan Esteban Clavijo, KAM of Furukawa Electric in Colombia, said: “Next-generation services force ISPs to reinvent themselves, especially to provide quality access to multimedia services that require state-of-the-art physical and logical networks. For this reason, to meet customer requirements, we implemented the GPON solution with which we guarantee quality in the transmission of audio, data and video, as well as a highly secure network for fast transactions.”

This project has pre-connected solutions, which made it possible to easily fit each of the parts corresponding to the implementation, as well as their development and deployment during the pandemic. Likewise, by having solutions of this type, they generate savings in investment costs of up to 22%, as well as terms of operating expenses that can reach up to 15%.

Gabriela González, Electronic Engineer (and Technical Deputy Manager) for UNIMOS S.A. E.S.P., said: “For us, it was something new, a technology that we had not handled, but that made it easier to provide the service in a more guaranteed way. The technology that Furukawa provides us with greater quality and efficiency for each process. In addition, learning was achieved by both the group of engineers and technicians who carried out the residential installations. Furukawa’s support in terms of service was very important.”

With this transformation carried out in the municipality, UNIMOS S.A. has been repositioned as a brand within the local community. The company is marking a milestone in the region achieving a great difference in terms of service. In 2020, it had 1,800 Internet users, who received the service through the old copper networks, but change became imminent when the number of users began to increase and their needs to obtain excellent speed became a priority.

So today this is a reality for the city of Ipiales that in five months it has been possible to connect more than 2,100 new users and it is expected to quickly increase the number.