(27 March 2012) New technologies allow for the economic integration of Latin American countries. This is one of the conclusions reached during the fifth meeting of the Regional Dialogue on Broadband, where ECLAC gathered public servants from nine out of the ten countries taking part in the Dialogue (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay), joined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
At the meeting, which took place today at the Spanish Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT) headquarters, representatives from these countries stated that infrastructure networks are a relevant political topic and that they can contribute to economic integration. For this reason, ECLAC was commissioned to make proposals for the regulation and management of Internet Exchange Points (IXP) by the countries participating in the Dialogue, based on an analytical model applicable at various development levels.
This aims to achieve a broader integration of Latin American countries through broadband infrastructure in order to attain a better economic integration in the region. Likewise, the countries agreed to create a working group on interconnection, led by Peru, for generating inputs and proposal for the sector. The Working Group will be aligned with its counterpart at UNASUR for joining efforts.
At the event, ECLAC also presented the latest broadband figures in the region. Since the creation of the Regional Dialogue, in 2010, the affordability of this service has increased considerably. According to data from the Regional Broadband Observatory (ORBA), between 2010 and the first months of 2012, average prices of broadband service decreased by 50% in all 10 participating countries.
Broadband quality -measured in terms of upload and download speeds- has also improved. Nonetheless, there is still a gap between participating countries and the more developed ones. In January 2012, the average download speed within countries taking part in the Dialogue was nearly 3 megabytes per second (Mbps) and an upload speed of 1 Mbps, whereas in European countries speeds reached 13 Mbps and 4 Mbps, respectively.
The fifth meeting took place one day after the Dialogue on Broadband Policies in Latin America and Europe, during which discussions were held on public policies for universalizing this service and achieving regional integration based on infrastructure, among other topics. Authorities from Latin America and Europe, international officials, representatives of private companies and experts attended the event.
The dialogue was inaugurated by Narcís Serra, President of the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB), and Mario Cimoli, Director of the ECLAC Division of Production, Productivity and Management. Also during the opening session, a video showing a welcome note by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda for Europe, was screened.
Both events were organized by ECLAC @LIS2, a project financed by the European Commission. Likewise, CIDOB collaborated with the organization of the seminar on 26 March.
ECLAC @LIS2 is a project of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean seeking to develop an inclusive, innovative and sustainable information society. Through this project, ECLAC serves as technical secretariat of the Regional Dialogue on Broadband and manages the ORBA, which is a source of relevant and timely information intending to help countries in the region elaborate and follow up on public policies for universalizing broadband.
For further questions, please contact ECLAC's Public Information and Web Services Unit. E-mail: dpisantiago@cepal.org ; Tel.: (56 2) 210 2040.
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