Conecta Infra's US$350m plan to connect South American data centre hubs

Details: John Tanner; Category: Data Centres & Networks; 25 March 2026; 5358 views

Brazil-based RW Telecom has rebranded as Conecta Infra with the launch of a new neutral optical infrastructure platform that aims to connect data centre hubs across South America.

Backed by a group of investors led by Brazilian private equity firm MissionCo, Conecta Infra kicked off a US$350 million investment plan in the second half of last year to deploy close to 6,000 km of owned network infrastructure, connecting Chile and Argentina to Brazil’s main digital infrastructure hubs, while expanding its footprint across Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza.

In a statement released Friday, Conecta Infra said its infrastructure is being built as a 100% underground, fully owned duct network. The architecture includes modular sites deployed along routes at intervals of approximately 80 km, equipped with N+1 backup power and ready-to-host customer equipment.

Conecta Infra said its plan isn’t to operate optical equipment or sell data transmission capacity, but operate exclusively as a physical network infrastructure provider, offering dark fibre pairs, dedicated ducts and technical space for customer equipment deployment.

That will enable telecom operators, content providers and hyperscalers to retain full control over their network operations, said RW Telecom CEO and founder Rafael Pires, who will helm Conecta Infra.

“Building long-haul fibre networks involves complex operational challenges, including right-of-way negotiations, permitting, civil works and route maintenance,” he said in a statement. “Our model allows hyperscalers to focus their investments on operating their equipment and managing data traffic, while we take full responsibility for the physical network infrastructure.”

Pires said Conecta Infra is launching as digital infrastructure expands rapidly across Latin America, driven by growth in cloud computing and increasing demand for processing capacity and low latency to support AI applications, with racks evolving from levels of 10 kW to more than 100 kW.

“We are witnessing a new wave of digital infrastructure investment in the region, led by hyperscalers and global data centre operators,” he said. “Conecta was created to provide the connectivity infrastructure required to support this next generation of digital networks.”