Two of the largest cities in the northeastern Agreste, Campina Grande (PB) and Caruaru (PE), received wireless Internet access points (Wi-Fi) in public squares for use by the general population. The delivery is part of the Nordeste Conectado Program, which receives funds from the Ministry of Communications and is carried out by the National Education and Research Network (RNP). In addition to access to the open wireless network, RNP's secure wireless network service, Eduroam, will also be available in these locations for use by the academic community.

By December 2022, 14 cities in the Northeast will have Wi-Fi Internet access in public squares: Caicó (RN), Mossoró (RN), Campina Grande (PB), Caruaru (PE), Petrolina (PE), Vitoria de Santo Antão (PE), Serra Talhada (PE), Juazeiro (BA), Barreiras (BA), Irecê (BA), Santo Antonio de Jesus (BA), Feira de Santana (BA), Paulo Afonso (BA) and Parnaíba (PI) with the possibility of reaching 6 more cities in the state of Ceará (CE): Iguatu, Juazeiro do Norte, Crateús, Quixadá, Crato and Redenção.

The operation and maintenance of wireless networks in public squares were made possible by the Technical Cooperation Agreement between RNP and the wireless network operator Linktel, in addition to local operators such as MOB, Interjato and ETICE. The project is expected to serve up to two squares per city, guaranteeing the offer of broadband internet from 100 Mb/s, for 80 simultaneous connections per connection point.

In Campina Grande, the access points are located in Praça da Bandeira and Clementino Procópio, in Caruaru they are located in Praça do Comércio and Frei Caneca.

About the Nordeste Conectado Program

The Nordeste Conectado Program contributes to the expansion and capillarization of the national academic network, the Ipê network, through the joint construction of metropolitan networks in 19 cities in the Northeast region, as well as to its technological evolution, within the Seventh Generation project of the Ipê network.

In turn, the Seventh Generation Project of the Ipê Network began with the fiber optic sharing agreement with Companhia Hidrelétrica do São Francisco (Chesf), allowing for a very high-performance infrastructure at a data transmission rate of up to 100 Gb/s.

In this way, federal universities, federal institutes and research units will be able to enjoy a high-speed network, connected to other institutions in Brazil and in the world, in addition to schools (municipal and state) and public squares, fostering the economy and local development in the serviced region. With the establishment of partnerships, it is possible to reach 77 more cities in the next four years.

Learn more about Nordeste Conectado.