Subtel authorizes Pacífico Cable to deploy 153 fiber optic nodes

The Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) authorized Pacífico Cable SpA to install, operate, and exploit a fiber optic network of 153 nodes and 217 links throughout the country, through exempt decree No. 1,191, dated October 15, 2026, published in the Official Gazette No. 44,582 on Saturday, October 24, 2026 (official reference: CVE 2889320). The concession modification also expands the company’s service area and sets deadlines of 30, 60, and 90 days to execute the project.

The scope of the modification

The decree modifies the Public Data Transmission Service concession granted to the company by supreme decree No. 130 of 2015, from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. The concessionaire is Pacífico Cable SpA, RUT 96.722.400-6, domiciled at Avenida Alonso de Córdova No. 3,788, 6th floor, office 61-b, commune of Vitacura, Metropolitan Region.

The authorized network consists of:

• 153 nodes distributed across the national territory, with the address, commune, and geographic coordinates specified for each.
• 217 fiber optic links, indicating the starting and destination node, length in kilometers, fiber type, and installation type.
• Fiber of the 48-strand ADSS type, with aerial installation across all detailed sections.
• Duct links (MUFA) of short length in urban areas, some under 0.1 kilometers.

Among the longest sections are Samo Alto–Vicuña, with 83.60 kilometers; Copiapó 2–Paso Hacienda Castilla, with 74.60 kilometers; El Peñón–Ovalle, with 61.50 kilometers, and Fresia–Purranque, with 54.30 kilometers.

Coverage from Antofagasta to Los Lagos

The projected nodes span twelve regions of the country, from the Antofagasta Region to the Los Lagos Region. The list includes localities in Antofagasta, Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Metropolitana, O’Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos.

• In the north, the network includes nodes in Antofagasta, La Negra, Chañaral, Copiapó, Caldera, Vallenar, Freirina, Domeyko, Coquimbo, La Serena, Ovalle, Illapel, Los Vilos, and Salamanca.
• In the central zone, it adds points in Curacaví, Talagante, Melipilla, Rancagua, San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, Curicó, Licantén, Lolol, and Pichilemu.
• In the south, it incorporates Chillán, Concepción, Los Ángeles, Temuco, Valdivia, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas, Frutillar, and Carelmapu, among other communes.

The decree also authorizes the expansion of the concessionaire’s service area, delimited by the census zones defined by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) according to the 2017 Census database, as individualized in the modification request submitted by the company.

Deadlines and processing

The file was processed starting from Subtel entry No. 34,227, dated March 25, 2025, supplemented by entries No. 85,326, dated July 28, 2025; No. 136,380, dated December 5, 2025; and No. 27,833, dated March 6, 2026. The application is governed by Articles 15 and 16 of Law No. 18,168, General Telecommunications Law, with the exception of the process for the issuance and publication of the extract.

The deadlines, counted from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette, are as follows:

• 30 days for the commencement of works.
• 60 days for the completion of works.
• 90 days for the commencement of service.

The act also approves the basic technical project presented by the concessionaire and recalls the obligation to comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and technical provisions. Notification will be sent from the inbox partes@subtel.gob.cl. The decree bears the signature of the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Louis de Grange Concha, by order of the President of the Republic, and was transcribed by the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Romina Garrido Iglesias.

Impact on competition and regional connectivity

The authorization enables a private operator to deploy data transport infrastructure across twelve regions, with an architecture of nodes and links connecting intermediate localities and regional capitals. As it is a Public Data Transmission Service concession, the network may be used to carry third-party traffic, which affects the availability of wholesale capacity and the competitive conditions of the internet market in the regions. The tight execution deadlines—90 days for the commencement of service—make adherence to the schedule the primary point of regulatory monitoring for the beneficiary communes.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,582, dated October 24, 2026, Section II, p. 1 (official reference: CVE 2889320).