Telcosur and Grupo Datco are enhancing connectivity in Vaca Muerta and the southern region
Telcosur, the telecommunications business unit of TGS, and Grupo Datco, a regional conglomerate specializing in technology, infrastructure, and telecommunications solutions, announced the formation of a strategic collaboration alliance to expand their operations in Patagonia, Argentina, primarily in the province of Neuquén, in the Vaca Muerta region.
As part of this alliance, both companies aim to enhance their capabilities and create business synergies in the southern region of the country. Recently, Telcosur completed a 150 km fiber optic network in the heart of the Neuquén Basin in Vaca Muerta, where Grupo Datco is finalizing the deployment of its Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN), providing low-cost connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Within the framework of this alliance, the companies agreed on three key areas of collaboration:
I) Cooperation between Telcosur and 0G Networks, a Grupo Datco company, to incorporate Sigfox technology onto the microwave antenna tower infrastructure that Telcosur has deployed over more than 4,600 km across Patagonia.
II) Interconnecting the fiber optic networks of both operators, totaling more than 1,800 km across Patagonia, spanning La Pampa, Chubut, Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands.
III) Conducting a feasibility and investment study for connecting their networks through the Pichachén Pass, a mountain pass that links Neuquén with the Biobío Region in Chile. On the Argentine side, the closest town to the Pichachén Pass is El Cholar, while on the Chilean side, they are Moncol and Antuco.
“Working together with a globally recognized company to expand connectivity in Vaca Muerta and create solutions that drive more investment and development for our country is a source of pride for all of us at Telcosur. This new challenge demonstrates the company’s clear commitment to meeting the service needs of its clients in the Oil & Gas sector, further strengthening its leadership as Argentina’s leading midstream provider.”
Eduardo Vigilante – Commercial Operations Manager of Telcosur
The resources and infrastructure brought together in this collaboration, along with individual efforts, will result in much more than the sum of their parts, as both companies have a strong presence in the region. Additionally, the complementarity of their operations will enhance synergies, leading to greater connectivity development, which in turn will encourage new investments in Patagonia, promoting the establishment of productive ventures and other knowledge-based economy initiatives.
In this regard, Grupo Datco, through Silica Networks, connects Patagonia with Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and São Paulo via a 13,000 km fiber optic ring, ensuring the region has low-latency international connectivity with access to both the Atlantic and Pacific.
For its part, due to its origins and specialization, Telcosur and TGS have extensive experience in implementing, operating, and maintaining dedicated telecommunications networks for mission-critical systems in the Oil & Gas and Energy industries throughout Patagonia.
The partnership and cooperation between Telcosur and Grupo Datco began more than 15 years ago, when they built the first hybrid fiber and microwave link connecting Santiago to Punta Arenas in Chile, which at the time was only connected via satellite links.
“Our dialogue with Telcosur has been very fruitful since the beginning. Over the years, we have built a cooperative relationship founded on a shared business vision, trust, and respect, which has enabled us to create development opportunities for both parties.”
Horacio Martínez – CEO of Grupo Datco
