Our Entrepreneurs

Company Snapshot

Osvaldo and his wife Carla dream of bridging the digital divide in Brazil. Since the couple founded Gigalink in 2004, they have brought affordable broadband internet to 15,000 households and small businesses, more than half of them in Nova Friburgo, one of the poorest municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state. The key is a low-cost copper cable developed and patented by Osvaldo, which allows the company to install broadband infrastructure at a cost that is ten times less than that of traditional fiber optics. This allows Gigalink to profitably target small to medium cities of 5,000 to 300,000 inhabitants where major Internet Service Providers often choose not to go—thereby helping the country move one step closer to the democratization of broadband internet.
Gigalink is the biggest internet service provider of Nova Friburgo, with a market share of 60%, and services customers in multiple cities, including Macaé, Rio das Ostras, São Fidélis, Campos dos Goytacazes and Niteroi.

Timeline:
1999 – Solutec – Solutions in computing for Nova Friburgo.
2003 – Gigalink, as a company, starts broadband supply connection, as a Solutec product.
2007 – Gigalink develops technology to install broadband at a cost ten times less than standard solution.
2009 – Gigalink completes facilities to operate in more than seven cities.
2010 – Founders of Gigalink, Carla Lucho and Osvaldo Lucho, are selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs.
2012 – Gigalink becomes first provider in the region to offer triple Play solution.