en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's Ministry of Communications (Ministério das Comunicações) on Thursday (25th) presented the progress of two major digital infrastructure projects underway in the country: the "North Connectivity Plan" (Programa Norte Conectado) and the "Private Communication Network for Federal Public Administration" (Rede Privativa de Comunicação da Administração Pública Federal). The former aims to expand fiber optic networks in the Amazon region by laying cables on riverbeds, while the latter is used to connect government agencies, building a proprietary communication infrastructure independent of commercial networks.
The two projects together involve an investment of approximately 2.3 billion reais, funded by the New Growth Acceleration Program (Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento, Novo PAC) and resources related to 5G auction commitments, executed by the 3.5 GHz Band Management Entity (Entidade Administradora da Faixa de 3.5 GHz, EAF), with participation from Telebras, and oversight by the Ministry of Communications and the National Telecommunications Agency (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações, Anatel).
According to the Ministry of Communications, five information highways have been completed and are operational—Information Highways 00, 01, 02, 03, and 04—benefiting over 6.1 million residents in the Amazon region. Upon full completion, the network is expected to cover approximately 7.5 million people across 70 locations in the states of Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima.
The "North Connectivity Plan" encompasses a total of nine planned information highways, with approximately 13,200 kilometers of underwater fiber optic cables. Currently, three additional facilities—Information Highways 05, 06, and 08—are still under construction.
Hermano Tercius, Telecommunications Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, stated that the plan has entered a new expansion phase. In addition to the official launch of Information Highways 03 and 04, the government has also brought Information Highway 02 into operation ahead of schedule and announced the start of Information Highway 05, which will connect Autazes (AM) and Porto Velho (RO). According to him, within just over a month, the number of fully delivered information highways will double, from two to four.
The largest among them, Information Highway 02, spans over 2,000 kilometers, connecting Manaus to Atalaia do Norte, providing fiber optics to 14 municipalities that previously relied entirely on satellite connections. This infrastructure will also enable future international connectivity with Peru and Colombia.
Hermano Tercius noted that the arrival of fiber optics has already yielded results in some areas, with increased broadband plan speeds, enhanced network redundancy, and reduced connection outages. For example, in Boa Vista, the new Information Highway 04 will create a second fiber route for the capital of Roraima, which currently depends on a single terrestrial link.
The second announcement of the event was the start of operations for the Private Communication Network for Federal Public Administration. This initiative creates an infrastructure dedicated to government communications, separate from commercial telecommunications networks, serving federal public agencies and, in the future, state-level institutions. The project is divided into a fixed network based on fiber optics and a mobile network for critical communications.
The first delivery took place in Aracaju (SE), where the fixed network has connected 12 public buildings via approximately 75 kilometers of fiber optics. The National Mining Agency (Agência Nacional de Mineração, ANM) became the first institution to operate on this new infrastructure. Future connections will include the National Social Security Institute (INSS), the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT), the Ministry of Labor, the National Department of Works Against Droughts (DNOCS), and the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), among others.
According to the Ministry of Communications, the network design employs national-level encryption technology developed by the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Agência Brasileira de Inteligência, Abin), a dual-link scheme, a minimum availability of 99.5%, and centralized operation by Telebras. The goal is to deploy this infrastructure in all Brazilian state capitals.
In mobile mode, the government demonstrated for the first time the interoperability between radio systems of different public agencies. During the demonstration, the Federal District Military Police, the Brazilian Army, the Chamber of Deputies Police, and the Federal Senate Police conducted joint communications using the private network platform, integrating systems that previously operated independently.
Francisco Lucas, National Public Security Secretary, stated that this integration addresses a historical issue in communication among security forces, which previously used different technologies and lacked interoperability. According to him, the new infrastructure will enable federal, state, and civil defense agencies to share secure and encrypted communications, strengthening joint operations and the fight against organized crime. The project begins in the Federal District and will expand gradually through the adherence of states, with the main infrastructure already built to support this expansion.
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