The Yafün Project was born out of NIC Chile's concerns regarding the robustness and resilience of the country's existing Internet networks, following the 2010 earthquake, which caused considerable damage to the digital infrastructure. Consequently, since 2016, the Yafün Proyect has been studying the national Internet, providing recommendations to contribute to its robustness and resilience.

This work has created a map of national digital connectivity, which identifies the existing deployment of structuring optical fiber on main and secondary roads, along with details of 1,800 locations without Internet access.

Thanks to field research, developed in the 346 communes of the country, the research team has been able to collaborate with connectivity initiatives and projects of communal and regional scope, developing actions required to bridge the national digital divide.

https://niclabs.cl/yafun/

• Chile

• Older persons
• Women
• Indigenous and nomadic peoples
• People with disabilities
• The unemployed
• The poor
• Remote and rural communities

The Yafün project has succeeded in creating maps that identify areas with very poor or no digital connectivity, built in collaboration with local governments in each commune. This collaboration with the public and private sectors can be replicated in other places around the world, especially in Latin America.

The Yafün project is based on digital sustainability, which means it promotes the responsible and efficient use of digital resources to reduce environmental impact.

The guiding principle is to reduce the digital divide for all people present in Chilean territory. It seeks to equalize access to the Internet regardless of people's characteristics (sex, economic situation, whether they live in a rural or urban area, whether they are national or foreign, etc.). Consequently, people have better opportunities when starting a business, being able to learn from a distance, being able to access leisure activities, and being connected to the world. In this way, progress is brought to the country by eliminating all gaps in access to Internet connectivity.