Gilat Awarded $6.75M Contract Extension to Continue the Provision of Internet Connectivity Services to Schools in Colombia
– Extension awarded by Colombian Ministry of Information Technologies and Telecommunications will enable continued broadband service to over 1500 schools –
Petah Tikva, Israel, 11 June 2013 – Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: GILT), a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, today announced that the Colombian Ministry of Information Technologies and Telecommunications (MINTIC) has extended the contract, with the extension valued at approximately $6.75M. Under the contract, Gilat will continue to provide broadband internet connectivity to over 1500 schools throughout the country’s outlying areas.
This contract extends the award originally received by Gilat in December 2011. The project, hosted by the Direccion de Conectividad (formerly “Compartel”) and the Ministry’s “Fondo de Tecnologías de la Información y las Communicaciones,” is scheduled to finish by early December, 2013, at the end of the current extension.
“We were happy to receive the contract extension to continue providing Internet services to Colombian schools as part of the Ministry’s significant efforts to improve education and employment in rural areas,” said Danny Fridman, CEO of Gilat Peru and Colombia. “Gilat is proud to be part of improving the quality of education around the world by enabling broadband-enabled classrooms, providing students and teachers with fast, reliable, satellite connectivity.”
The network, which utilizes the innovative Sky-Edge II WebEnhance VSAT, will provide over 1500 schools with data rates of up to 2 Mbps located in five separate districts across rural Colombia. The program is part of the Colombian government’s ongoing efforts to “bridge the digital divide” and reduce the communications gap in Colombia with increased investment to improve access to advanced communications services in schools.
