ICT's advance, but there is still a way to go for their universalization

The level of digitalization in Latin America is improving. For example, there are advances in the development of broad band in terms of the expansion of coverage, growth of network capacity, increase in connection speeds, and reduction of prices. Despite the advances, the service is still not universal. 

One recommendation to achieve universalization is to add more value to ICT products. This recommendation, as the analysis of the sector's prospects in the region, was one of the conclusions of the workshops  "Ecosistema y economía digital en América Latina" (Ecosystems and digital economy in Latin America) lead by Raul Katz, professor in the Finance and Economics Direction at the Columbia Business School. Activities were carried out in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. 

To address the challenge of giving more value added to ICT products, there is a need for public policy actions applied to variables of the national economies so as to emphasize the promotion of demand and, particularly, leverage the mobile broad band services that may solve the economic gaps. Emphasis was also given to the promotion of local contents for the Internet, which are relevant for the population in general. The workshops also pointed out how investments of public-private associations are a key aspect to satisfy the following stages of growth of the ICT sector.  

The workshops are framed within the development of the study on the digital ecosystem and industrial development of Latin America, which CAF has been advancing  and which seeks to analyze the contribution and support of the wide band networks to the region's digital ecosystem. The meeting was organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Fundación Telefónica, and the Asociación Iberoamericana de Centros de Investigación y Empresas de Telecomunicaciones (AHCIET) (Ibero-American Association of Research Centers and Telecommunication Companies). 

The study will include recommendations to favor the expansion of the digital ecosystem in Latin America, taking into consideration the necessary investments in telecommunications networks, the sustainability of such investments, and the support instruments for innovation and entrepreneurship.