Increasing the Speed of the Development of Fibre Broadband and Shining the Light on Digital LATAM
Today was the day when Sao Paulo, Brazil played home to the LATAM Fibre Broadband Leaders Summit, which was organised and run by Huawei with the assistance of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Informa Markets, as well as Huawei.
Optical fibre industry executives from Latin American industry organisations, ecosystem partners, and carriers got together to talk about recent commercial success practises, novel uses of optical fibre in Latin America, and development trends in the sector. During the conference, Bob Cai, President of Huawei’s Latin America Carrier Business, called on governments, regulators, carriers, and other industry partners to collaborate in order to expedite the development of fibre broadband in Latin America and light up Digital LATAM.
In recent years, there has been a growing need in Latin America for stronger network connections, which has led to the ongoing fast development of optical networks in the region, which have now become the most essential technology for broadband access. By the year 2023, the penetration rate of optical fibre in Latin America will have surpassed 30 percent, and the region would be home to more than 60 million people who utilise optical fibre.
Despite this, only forty percent of homes in Latin America still have access to a fixed broadband internet connection, which means they are unable to take advantage of the efficiencies offered by telework, online education, online shopping, and digital healthcare. Huawei works to ensure that everyone can connect. More than 8,000 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid down by Huawei in the Amazon jungle in preparation for the year 2020.
This will make it possible for 3.7 million people living in the Amazon to connect to the internet. “Huawei will also continue to work hard in the future to not let anyone fall behind in the digital world,” Cai added. “We will not let anyone fall behind in the digital world.”
Broadband Internet access provided by fibre optics has emerged as a primary catalyst for both the expansion of the national economy and the enhancement of its competitiveness. It makes people’s lives better and gives a fresh boost to digital transformation efforts across all sectors of the economy. According to the study conducted by the ITU, there would be a 1.9% gain in GDP for every 10% increase in fibre penetration. Several nations in Latin America, including Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, have published policies with the intention of speeding up the development of optical fibre.
For instance, in accordance with the Broadband Strategy of Brazil, the rate of optical fibre backhaul will reach 100% in places with more than 600 inhabitants by the year 2027, and the average bandwidth available to homes will be more than 1 Gbit/s. The world’s various governments have come to the conclusion that expanding fibre connection should be a top priority.
The deployment of optical fibre offers operators not just social and economic benefits, but also benefits to their businesses. In recent years, the top 10 operators in Latin America with the biggest number of FTTH (fibre to the house) users have achieved a positive revenue cycle from fixed networks and will continue to invest in optical fibres in the next years. FTTH stands for “fibre to the home,” and it refers to the installation of fibre optic cables directly into customers’ homes.
The transition of copper and cable customers to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) consumers has developed into a widespread pattern. According to estimates provided by industry analysts, around 36 million copper and cable customers make the switch to FTTH each year. New prospects for expansion will become available to operators in the future as a result of the ongoing adoption of emerging technologies like as cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the acceleration of the rollout of 4K/8K/VR ultra-broadband services, and the beginning of the digital transformation of the industry. The use of fibre optics is both commonplace and anticipated in the near future.
According to Cai, “Huawei is committed to providing the intelligent, efficient, and cost-effective Digital Fibre solution, helping carriers efficiently deploy FTTH networks, providing a premium user experience, implementing intelligent O&M, and providing a variety of innovative services for homes and enterprises.” At the conclusion of the summit, Bob made a plea for all of the attendees governments, regulators, operators, and industry partners to collaborate in order to hasten the deployment of fibre broadband across Latin America and bring the Digital LATAM into the spotlight.
