Located in Baja California Sur, Isla Santa Margarita became the 76th Smart Village in a program by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT).
Working with Hughes, the Ministry is advancing the Smart Villages project. The new Hughes JUPITER™ 3 satellite, which covers all of Mexico, provides download speeds of up to 50 Mbps and 250 GB of monthly data for the 270 inhabitants of Isla Santa Margarita. HughesXpress® Wi-Fi provides users with wireless access to smartphones, tablets, and computers.
In addition, the Super Smart Village of Isla Santa Margarita marks the beginning of a new phase in the Smart Villages project. Being a Super Village implies contributing to the promotion of productive community projects, ranging from online education to government procedures, training, and financial digital inclusion.
It is expected that the number of connected Smart Villages will increase during 2024, representing not only a technological advance but also a significant boost to the welfare and equality of rural and hard-to-reach communities in Mexico.
More than connectivity, the path to well-being
This digital inclusion project follows a four-phase model: (I) Access, (II) Use, (III) Appropriation and (IV) Well-being. It connects internet in public places in rural or hard-to-reach localities, allowing them to take full advantage of the possibilities and resources of connectivity to improve their quality of life and well-being.
Currently, the project benefits 76 localities in 16 states of Mexico, reaching more than 100,000 people. More than half are women, 35,000 are indigenous peoples and 5,000 people with disabilities.
This success has been internationally recognized with the Champion award during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), organized by the ITU in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2023. In addition, the project is part of the multilateral Partner2Connect alliance, promoted by the ITU to promote universal connectivity and digital transformation worldwide, focusing on the most difficult communities to connect.