2025

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s new government on Tuesday issued a decree that will allow global satellite internet companies such as Starlink or Kuiper to provide internet access across the Andean nation as it tries to upgrade its technology and speed up its notoriously slow connectivity rates.

Bolivia’s centrist President Rodrigo Paz signed the decree, which waives the restrictions placed on international satellite companies by the socialist administration of his predecessor, Luis Arce.

Last year, Arce’s government refused to grant a license to SpaceX, which owns Starlink, to operate in Bolivia, citing data protection and national sovereignty concerns.

For years, Bolivia has tried to improve internet access in remote areas with a satellite purchased from China during the government of left-wing leader Evo Morales. When the satellite was acquired in 2013, Morales promised it would “enlighten the people, after years of living in obscurity.”

However, the Chinese satellite, known as the Tupac Katari, failed to significantly speed up internet connections on mobile phones or in homes, because it relies on geostationary technology and orbits Earth at a distance of about 35,000 kilometers (about 21,800 miles) from the surface.

In contrast, satellites used by Starlink orbit the planet at a distance of 550 kilometers (some 340 miles). Modern satellites used by Starlink and its competitors stay closer to Earth, which enables them to transmit data at faster rates.

A report published in November by Ookla, a connectivity intelligence company, found that Bolivia had the slowest internet speed for mobile phones and fixed broadband in South America. Brazil is the regional leader in internet speed.

On Tuesday, the Bolivian president said that by granting licenses to international satellite companies, he is hoping to “reduce the digital divide” and guarantee access to high quality connectivity for Bolivians.

The slow connectivity rates in Bolivia stymie simple tasks such as conference calls, and also make it harder to conduct more complex operations online, including cloud computing.

“We became spectators while the rest of the world advanced,” said Paz, who was elected in October. “But that is over. With new technologies we will be able to make up for lost time.”

Paz also said international companies — including Tesla, Amazon, Tether and Orcacle — plan to invest in data centers that Bolivia will set up near the cities of El Alto and Cochambamba.

The president has been trying to draw international investment to Bolivia, as part of an effort to overcome an economic crisis, characterized by severe shortages of U.S. dollars.

Earlier this week, Paz signed a decree to eliminate fuel subsidies that had hobbled public finances and worsened the dollar shortages. Labor unions across the Andean nation took to the streets on Monday to protest the elimination of the fuel subsidies.

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By Sam Li and Siyi Liu

BEIJING/SINGAPORE, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose for a sixth day on Wednesday supported by robust U.S. economic growth and the risk of supply disruptions from Venezuela and Russia.

Brent crude futures climbed 17 cents, or 0.27%, to $62.55 a barrel by 0714 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude added 20 cents, or 0.34%, to $58.58.

Both contracts have gained about 6% since December 16, when they plunged to near five-year lows.

“What we’ve seen over the past week is a combination of position squaring in thin markets, after last week’s breakdown failed to gain traction, coupled with heightened geopolitical tensions, including the US blockade on Venezuela and supported by last night’s robust GDP data,” IG analyst Tony Sycamore said.

U.S. data showed the world’s largest economy grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, fueled by robust consumer spending and a sharp rebound in exports.

“In that context, this morning’s API inventory build was easy to overlook. However, it likely encourages sellers to step in should the rally push toward $60.00 in the coming sessions,” Sycamore said.

U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.39 million barrels last week, while gasoline stocks increased by 1.09 million barrels and distillate inventories rose by 685,000 barrels, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is due to release official inventory data on Monday, later than usual due to the Christmas holiday.

On the supply side, disruptions to Venezuelan exports have been the most significant factor pushing up oil prices, while Russia’s and Ukraine’s continued attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure have also supported the market, Haitong Futures said in a report.

More than a dozen loaded vessels are in Venezuela waiting for new directions from their owners after the U.S. seized the supertanker Skipper earlier this month and targeted two additional vessels on the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced a “blockade” of all vessels under sanctions entering or departing from Venezuela in a move to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Still, oil prices are poised for another quarterly loss, weighed down by forecasts for a surplus.

(Reporting by Sam Li in Beijing and Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Sonali Paul)

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