Transportadora de Gas del Sur S A : Telcosur and Grupo Datco improve connectivity in Vaca Muerta and the southern region

arrow_left_altBack sep. 17, 2020 Telcosur and Grupo Datco improve connectivity in Vaca Muerta and the southern region

Telcosur, tgs' telecommunications business unit and Grupo Datco, regional conglomerate specialized in technology, infrastructure and telecommunications solutions, announced a strategic cooperation alliance to expand their operations in the Argentine Patagonia, mainly in the Vaca Muerta area in the Province of Neuquén.

As part of said alliance, both companies intend to enhance their capacities and generate business synergies in the southern region of the country, where Telcosur has recently finalized the installation of 150 km of optical fiber at the heart of the Neuquen basin of Vaca Muerta, area in which Grupo Datco is completing the deployment of its low-power wide-area network -LPWAN- through which it provides low-cost connectivity for Internet of Things applications (IoT).

Within the framework of this alliance, both companies have agreed on three core work areas:

I) Cooperation between Telcosur and 0G Networks- Grupo Datco's company - to introduce Sigfox technology in the microwave antenna towers that Telcosur has deployed along over 4,600 km in the Patagonia region.

II) Interconnect the optical fiber networks of both operators, which add up to over 1,800 km in the Patagonia along La Pampa, Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego, Antártida and Southern Atlantic Islands.

III) Conduct a feasibility and investment study to analyze the linking of their networks through the Pichachén Pass, border crossing that connects Neuquén to the VIII Region of Biobío, in Chile. On the Argentine side, the closest town to Pichachén Pass is El Cholar, whereas on the Chilean side the nearest is Moncoly Antuco.

'It is a source of pride for all of us who are part of Telcosur to work jointly with a company of worldwide renown towards the expansion of Vaca Muerta's connectivity possibilities, generating solutions that will be translated into more investment and development for our country. This new challenge is evidence of our undeniable calling to meet our clients' service needs in the Oil & Gas segment, strengthening our leadership as first Argentine midstreamer', asserted Eduardo Vigilante, Telcosur's Commercial and Operations Manager.

'Our dialogue with Telcosur has been fruitful since its beginnings. Throughout the years, we have developed a cooperation bond based on a shared vision of business, mutual trust and respect, departing from which we have generated development opportunities for both parties', said Horacio Martínez, CEO of Grupo Datco.

The resources and infrastructure that both parties are investing into this cooperation agreement, as well as individual efforts, will result in something much greater than the sum of the parts, as both companies are highly developed in the region. Likewise, the complementarity of their operations will translate synergies into greater development of connectivity, thus encouraging new investments in the Patagonia, promoting the arising of productive undertakings and other initiatives based on knowledge-driven economy.

Grupo Datco, through Silica Networks, connects the Patagonia region to Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and San Pablo through an optical fiber ring of over 13,000 km, which allows the region to ensure international connectivity with low-latency, with exit to both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

On the other hand, given their origin and specialization focus, Telcosur and tgs have great experience in the implementation, operation and maintenance of telecommunication networks dedicated to mission-critical network in the Oil & Gas and Energy industry throughout the whole Patagonia.

The beginning of the partnership and cooperation between Telcosur and Grupo Datco dates back to over 15 years ago, when they jointly built the first mixed fiber and microwave link to connect Santiago to Punta Arenas in Chile, which up to that moment had been communicated through satellite links.