Latin American governments facing challenge of improving Internet access
-
A handout picture provided by Huawei that shows Marketing CEO for LatAm, Joaquín Saldaña. EPA-EFE/Huawei /EDITORIAL USE ONLY / NO SALES / ONLY AVAILABLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS (MANDATORY CREDIT )
-
A handout picture provided by Huawei of Huawei Senior Vice President Catherine Chen. EPA-EFE/ Huawei Technologies Engineering México /EDITORIAL USE ONLY / NO SALES / ONLY AVAILABLE TO ILLUSTRATE THE ACCOMPANYING NEWS (MANDATORY CREDIT )
Mexico City, Feb 22 (efe-epa) - Latin America's challenge in improving Internet connectivity in rural and urban areas to reduce the digital divide, which is key to economic development, was the focus of discussion on Monday at the virtual forum "Connectivity for Shared Prosperity."
Peru's minister of transport and communications, Eduardo Gonzalez, said during the forum that his country "has developed connectivity" even though only 8.2 percent of households in rural areas have access to fixed Internet, far below the 41 percent level in urban areas.
"In the Amazon, 90 percent lack connectivity," Gonzalez explained, expressing concern about areas that have "zero connectivity" but could benefit from satellite technology systems.
He said that in Peru's rural areas, 26 percent of the people have access to fixed or mobile Internet, while in the cities it is 70 percent.
"We have proposed a plan that we have called 'Everyone Connected,' with the objective of creating a new base for the country as a whole. The aim is for all citizens to have access to the digital world and connectivity," he said, after presenting several projects for agricultural and rainforest areas.
The Peruvian minister acknowledged that doing so is "a very big challenge", but said he was "confident" of success thanks to the "concerted participation of private and public institutions."
In addition, Gonzalez accepted that the Covid-19 pandemic had increased the demand for Internet use and had established digital habits that are going to continue.
"It is not just temporary. New habits have been created that society now assumes and that means that this demand for data will be sustained over time," he said, offering support for installing 5G technology in a "democratic" way.
Mexico's director general of telecommunications, Rocio Mejia, acknowledged that her country's situation is similar to Peru's in terms of connectivity, noting that the problem is of particular concern during the pandemic.
"When we talk about digital inclusion and connectivity as a democratization of access to information and communication technologies, we must think broadly, not just about providing a device or a computer," she said.
She called for using those digital platforms to improve access to education, contribute to social coexistence, facilitate medical services and make social and government services more accessible "The Mexican government is committed to reducing the digital divide and has raised this commitment to the highest level by including it in the Constitution," she said.
The governor of the Brazilian state of Goias, Ronaldo Caiado, spoke about the benefits of technology and 5G connectivity for agriculture and the livestock sector, saying they can help industries grow while "preserving the ecosystem and improving products for consumers."
Caiado said experiments are being carried out in Goias with the goal of "increasing productivity, reducing costs and seeing how to use fewer and fewer herbicides and pesticides to care for the environment" through the use of technology developed by private companies, such as Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, and academic institutions.
"Thanks to 5G technology, farmers can receive images of where a fungus or a problem is developing in a specific area, and are immediately able to take the action required to control the pest without having to apply pesticides to the whole plantation," he said.
The virtual event was inaugurated by Huawei Senior Vice President Catherine Chen, who called for "a true consensus on technology" and its appropriate use worldwide to advance technological development without disputes and controversies.
Experts and representatives from Latin American companies and governments are participating in the online forum organized by Agencia EFE and Huawei to discuss how the region can promote the digital economy as an engine for development.
EFE
Contenido relacionado
Huawei vice president calls for global consensus on technological development
Mexico City, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- Huawei Senior Vice President Catherine Chen stressed at a forum here Monday the need to reach a consensus on the appropriate use of technology worldwide.
She said a general and far-reaching agreement is needed to proceed with the unstoppable process of technological development without generating disputes and controversies.
"Due to ideological barriers efforts are being made to halt technological development, and that will only halt progress and development. So it's very important to reach a consensus," Chen said at the start of the online forum "Connectivity for Shared Prosperity," an event organized by Agencia EFE (Spain's international news agency) and Chinese technology giant Huawei.
Chen, who is also a member of Huawei's board of directors, said a global consensus on technological development is essential for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
While mentioning perceptions about 5G as "a high-risk platform," she said the latest generation of mobile internet connection is a technology that offers "high bandwidth, low latency and (a level of) connectivity" that will provide enhanced benefits for society.
Different stakeholders in today's digital era are involved in establishing technology standards for managing "various risks caused by the application of technology," Chen said, citing as examples digital security and reliable artificial intelligence.
"We've always supported technological progress and we are convinced the goal is always to develop society," said the Huawei vice president, who went on to explain the solar projects the company is developing to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in countries such as China, Ethiopia, Egypt and Ghana.
GSMA Latin America's director of technology and strategic engagement, Alejandro Adamowicz, said for his part that the pandemic has brought the region "accelerated growth in digital transformation, as both companies and individuals have embraced technology."
Adamovicz said the mobile phone industry accounted for 7 percent of the region's gross domestic product in 2020, a year in which network traffic grew by up to 50 percent in some cases.
He added that commitments are in place to spend around $99 billion on mobile infrastructure investment in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next five years.
The International Telecommunication Union's regional director for the Americas, Bruno Ramos, said the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the most advanced countries in the digital economy are better prepared to overcome the current global crisis.
Ramos said successful participation in the digital economy means having robust high-speed broadband services, reliable digital payment infrastructure and systems, the ability to digitize SMEs and their retail operations and legal structures for digital contracts and digital signatures, among other factors.
Experts and representatives from Latin American companies and governments are participating in the online forum organized by Agencia EFE and Huawei to discuss how the region can promote the digital economy as an engine for development. EFE-EPA
mm/esc/may/lap-mc
No turning back as Latin America heads down path to full digitalization
Mexico City, Feb 22 (efe-epa).- Latin American companies and governments on Monday discussed the pressing need to carry out a complete and inclusive digital transformation, a process needed to strengthen economic development and ensure the region seizes its opportunity to join the current industrial revolution.
Representatives of governments, international organizations and companies agreed at the online forum "Connectivity for Shared Prosperity," organized by Agencia EFE (Spain's international news agency) and Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the needs of the new digital economy.
Huawei Senior Vice President Catherine Chen opened the event by calling for "a true consensus on technology" and its appropriate use worldwide, saying that will be necessary if the unstoppable process of technological development is to be implemented without disputes and controversies.
"Due to ideological barriers efforts are being made to halt technological development, and that will only halt progress and development. So it's very important to reach a consensus," she said.
Chen, who is also a member of Huawei's board of directors, also said a global consensus on technological development is essential for meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
While mentioning perceptions about 5G as "a high-risk platform," she said the latest generation of mobile internet connection is a technology that offers "high bandwidth, low latency and (a level of) connectivity" that will provide enhanced benefits for society.
GSMA Latin America's director of technology and strategic engagement, Alejandro Adamowicz, said for his part that the mobile phone industry accounted for 7 percent of the region's gross domestic product in 2020, a year in which network traffic grew by up to 50 percent in some cases.
He added that commitments are in place to spend around $99 billion on mobile infrastructure investment in Latin America and the Caribbean over the next five years.
The International Telecommunication Union's regional director for the Americas, Bruno Ramos, said the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the most advanced countries in the digital economy are better prepared to overcome the current global crisis.
Given the need to increase digitization and reduce the digital divide, the region faces the challenge of boosting internet connectivity in rural and urban areas.
Peru's minister of transport and communications, Eduardo Gonzalez, said during the forum that his country "has developed connectivity" even though only 8.2 percent of households in rural areas have access to fixed Internet, far below the 41 percent level in urban areas.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, 46 percent of children between the ages of five and 12 live in households without Internet service, Fernando Rojas, economic advisor to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, said.
Mexico's director general of telecommunications, Rocio Mejia, acknowledged that her country's situation is similar to Peru's in terms of connectivity, noting that the problem is of particular concern during the pandemic.
She called for using those digital platforms to improve access to education, contribute to social coexistence, facilitate medical services and make social and government services more accessible.
The governor of the Brazilian state of Goias, Ronaldo Caiado, spoke about the benefits of technology and 5G connectivity for agriculture and the livestock sector, saying they can help industries grow while "preserving the ecosystem and improving products for consumers."
Caiado said experiments are being carried out in Goias with the goal of "increasing productivity, reducing costs and seeing how to use fewer and fewer herbicides and pesticides to care for the environment" through the use of technology developed by private companies, such as Huawei, and academic institutions.
The president commissioner of Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute, Adolfo Cuevas, said the Latin American region should make the most of the 5G revolution because the opportunity "won't always be there."
Failing to seize upon this chance now would be no different than ignoring the development of the railroad industry in the late 19th century, he said.
Jose Guridi, an adviser to the Chilean government, confirmed that the process of digital transformation is "fast, cuts across different sectors and is obligatory, even more so after the pandemic."
In pursuit of that goal, Huawei's director of strategy and marketing in Latin America, Joaquin Saldaña, called for investment in technology-focused public policies and consideration of "technology skills training" for both end users and "the professionals responsible for these transformations."
Huawei's regional vice president of public relations, Cesar Funes, said digital technology "kept the world functioning, families connected and businesses open" in an extremely difficult 2020.
"Technologies such as 5G, cloud computing and smart devices are accelerating the digital transformation of industries and everyday life," he observed at the close of the forum, while also stressing the need for "a fair and open vision to drive technology cooperation." EFE-EPA
mm/esc/ares/lap-mc
