Performance Analysis of a Wireless Network in the Peruvian Amazon

This article describes the implementation and performance of a long-distance wireless data network to provide Internet access service to public institutions located in the villages of the Santiago River basin (Amazon - Perú). In 2018, the regional Amazon Broadband project did not include these villages in its plans, leaving them without Internet access, and thus worsening the economic and social development of these communities. To solve this problem, a multi-stakeholder alliance was formed between public institutions and the university to develop a project that consisted of designing and implementing a broadband connectivity solution for the Santiago River basin. This multi-stakeholder alliance is an innovative model for solving various social problems in Peru. From a technical standpoint, the project's objective is to validate the use of unlicensed band wireless technology as an economical and feasible solution to be used as a backhaul for providing Internet access solutions in disadvantaged rural areas. The design and implementation of this data network was developed by GTR-PUCP (Pontifical Catholic University of Perú) with the aim of improving the quality of life and economic growth of these villages, and it could be replicated in other scenarios where private companies have no interest. Currently, the Santiago River network is completed and is used by around 200 users on a working day, who use the Internet, video conferencing, VoIP communication, and telehealth. The success of the network has aroused the interest of private telecommunications companies that wish to use the network to provide mobile phone services in exchange for maintaining the network, thus demonstrating that it is possible to contribute to closing the digital divide.