(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-17 10:39

MONTEVIDEO -- Uruguay and Venezuela are expected to have a shared communications satellite in the air soon which will cover South and Central America, an official from Uruguay's Communication Services Regulation Unit said Sunday.

The $250-million satellite, which is designed for 15 years of service life, will boost both nations' communications and allow them to lower the cost of using the broadband Internet, Leon Lev, president of the regulation unit told media.

"It (the satellite) will be jointly used by Uruguay and Venezuela for peaceful ends," Lev said, adding that "Uruguay is on the verge of a fundamentally important event."

Local media said the joint program has already enabled the two nations to improve their aerospace research. The satellite's launch site has yet to be confirmed.