Gilat Perú has signed a $28 million agreement with Pronatel, Peru's national telecommunications program, to upgrade broadband connectivity across the Ica region, with construction scheduled for completion by mid-2027.

The contract makes Ica the fifth Peruvian region to receive a broadband network upgrade since 2025, extending a national rollout pattern that has already reached four other regional markets. Gilat Perú will carry out the work for Pronatel, the state body charged with expanding telecommunications infrastructure across the country.

How big is the speed increase?

According to the agreement, the upgraded network is set to deliver internet speeds up to 20 times faster than those currently available to the 116 public institutions covered by the project across Ica. That capacity jump applies to institutions rather than individual households: schools, clinics and other state bodies stand to gain the most from the upgrade.

The project also adds new capacity and free Wi-Fi access in 30 public squares across the region. For a region where public institutions have relied on much slower connections, the free public Wi-Fi element extends the benefit beyond government buildings into open civic spaces.

Gilat frames the improved infrastructure as a foundation for essential digital services. The company identifies three sectors that stand to benefit:

• Education
• Healthcare
• Public safety

These are the services Pronatel's regional broadband projects are designed to support, and the upgraded network in Ica is positioned as the delivery platform for them.

What does the operator say?

"Strong connectivity is essential to enabling public institutions and communities to access digital services and opportunities," said Arieh Rohrstock, President, Gilat Perú.

Rohrstock pointed to the company's track record as the basis for the new deployment. He noted that the project will benefit from Gilat Perú's experience deploying, upgrading and operating large-scale telecommunications networks across the country, including in rural areas.

That operating history matters for Pronatel's program. Regional upgrades of this kind require both construction capacity and long-term network operations in sometimes difficult terrain, and Gilat Perú has positioned itself as a supplier with both.

Where does Ica sit in the national rollout?

Ica is the fifth region in Peru to receive a broadband network upgrade since 2025. The sequence signals an ongoing, region-by-region procurement approach by Pronatel rather than a single nationwide contract, with each regional package tendered and awarded separately.

For Gilat Perú, the $28 million Ica agreement adds to a growing portfolio of Pronatel work. The company's stated experience spans deployment, upgrades and operations of large-scale networks nationwide, including in rural areas where connectivity economics are hardest to close.

What comes next?

The construction timeline runs to mid-2027, when the upgraded network is expected to be complete and delivering the higher speeds to the 116 public institutions. Between now and then, the rollout will add capacity across the region and light up free Wi-Fi in the 30 designated public squares.

If Pronatel maintains its post-2025 pace of regional awards, further contracts beyond Ica — the fifth region so far — would follow the same model of upgrading public institutional connectivity under the national telecommunications program.