The new plant, named Venefibra, represents an effort in the pursuit of technological sovereignty and economic diversification. Photograph: Radio Miraflores.
Guacamaya, July 10, 2025. As part of the bilateral cooperation between Venezuela and Iran, this week a shipment of materials and supplies arrived for the installation of the first fiber optic cable factory on Venezuelan soil. The project will be developed in the state of La Guaira, aiming to strengthen telecommunications infrastructure and diversify the region’s economy.
The reception of the supplies was led by the governor of La Guaira, José Alejandro Terán, who announced that the plant will be called Venefibra. Also present were the Iranian ambassador in Caracas, Ali Chegini; the president of the Iranian company Modern Data Center (MDC), Ali Kianpour; and Marcos Meléndez, the sole authority of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of La Guaira.
The alliance for the installation of the factory is composed of the Government of La Guaira, the National Telephone Company of Venezuela (Cantv), and the Iranian company MDC. The agreement was formalized in September 2024 during the II International Telecommunications Fair of Venezuela (Fitelven) and has been concretized with the arrival of these first materials at the port of La Guaira.
According to Governor Terán, the main objective of the factory is to strengthen Venezuela’s telecommunications infrastructure, considered a strategic sector by the national government, and thus advance towards technological sovereignty. It is expected that the Venefibra plant will not only cover the internal demand for fiber optic materials but also generate new jobs and diversify imports.
During the signing of the agreement last September, Venezuelan authorities pointed out that fiber optic coverage already reaches 65% of the population and has been deployed in 99% of the country’s municipalities. Nevertheless, details about the specific scale of the factory and the expected timelines for its execution remain unknown.
For now, it has been announced that the Investment Center of the new factory will be located in the facilities of the former Caracas warehouse in Catia La Mar, La Guaira. According to Marcos Meléndez, sole authority of the SEZ, architectural and engineering adaptation works had already begun last November in coordination with the state broadcaster VTV.
This cooperation between the two countries is part of a deeper strategic relationship that includes sectors such as energy, agriculture, defense, and technical services. The Venezuelan government insists on its commitment to technology transfer and the development of productive capacities, although the financial terms of this agreement and its impact on connectivity improvement remain undisclosed.