Chile and Bolivia have signed a bilateral agreement to advance a proposed fibre-optic corridor running from Chile’s Pacific coast through northern Chile and across the border into Bolivia, with potential onward connections through Paraguay and Brazil to Atlantic-facing telecommunications networks.
The initiative, discussed during Chilean President José Antonio Kast’s October visit to La Paz, aims to strengthen Bolivia’s international connectivity and attract investment from data centre operators and technology companies.
The proposed terrestrial route would enter Bolivia from Chile’s Arica and Parinacota region, potentially through the Visviri-Charaña border crossing. It could connect Bolivia to submarine cable systems landing on Chile’s Pacific coast, including the planned Humboldt cable linking South America with Asia-Pacific.
Bolivian Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora said the corridor could turn the landlocked country into a bridge for data traffic between Chile and Brazil.
However, the project remains at the planning stage. Following the bilateral memorandum, Bolivia announced preparations for a pre-feasibility study with technical support from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The assessment will examine alternative routes, financing models and technical requirements. Outstanding questions include border permits, network interoperability, cybersecurity standards and agreements with telecommunications operators.
The study must also establish whether operators will commit traffic to the proposed cross-border network.
Neither government has confirmed an investment figure, transmission capacity or construction timetable.
Even if the infrastructure is built, attracting data centres will require dependable electricity, resilient networks and sufficient commercial demand.
For now, the agreement establishes a framework for investigation rather than a funded construction programme.
