CLTD 2022 kicked off in Mexico City, as the meeting point for stakeholders in the Latin American digital ecosystem

The Latin American Congress on Digital Transformation (CLTD), the annual ICT policy forum convened by ASIET, CAF, GSMA and in coordination with the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), takes place on November 29–30 at the Hilton Reforma in Mexico City. With the presence of authorities, executives and international experts, the event aims to analyze enabling public policies for the region’s digital future. Registration is free and is still open at cltd.lat. 

The conference began this morning with the inaugural session ‘Digital transformation: sustainability of investments for Latin American prosperity’, held in partnership with Mobile 360 Latin America. Participants included Maryleana Méndez, Secretary-General of ASIET; John Giusti, Director of Regulatory Affairs, GSMA; Javier Juárez Mojica, Presiding Commissioner of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT); Rogelio Jiménez Pons Gómez, Undersecretary of Transportation of Mexico’s Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT); Daniel Hajj Aboumrad, CEO of América Móvil; Lucas Gallitto, Head of Latin America, GSMA; Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO; and René Orellana Halkyer, Regional Manager for Mexico and Central America at CAF.

Maryleana Méndez, Secretary General of ASIET, and John Giusti, Director of Regulatory Affairs of GSMA, initiated the dialogue on the public policies necessary to maximize the socioeconomic opportunities of digitalization in Latin America. Similarly, Javier Juárez Mojica -Presiding Commissioner of the IFT and Rogelio Jiménez Pons Gómez, Undersecretary of Transport of Mexico’s Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), kicked off the debate of the first session as host country of the meeting.  

For Maryleana Méndez, Secretary-General of ASIET, "it is clear that the size of the challenge we face is such that individual action, whether public or private, will not be enough, as it requires the contribution and work of each and every one, understanding that all stakeholders in the ecosystem must make a balanced contribution to promote inclusive, fair and sustainable digital solutions, ”. John Giusti, Director of Regulatory Affairs at the GSMA, said: “The decisions we make today will become tomorrow’s reality, and it is our duty as leaders to work together to ensure we are making decisions that support the growth of 5G, foster innovation and investment, and address the usage gap. We must work to build a sustainable and equitable digital future, a better future for all of us and for generations to come”.

Javier Juárez Mojica, Presiding Commissioner of Mexico’s IFT, noted that,  the telecommunications sector is the foundation of digital transformation, a cross-cutting process that impacts all activities of society. In this regard, he recalled that the IFT was recognized by the ITU as a fifth-generation regulator and one of the main characteristics is collaborative regulation, a model that the IFT is confirming with the creation of the 5G Committee, in which representatives of various sectors participate in working groups that cover spectrum, infrastructure, use cases, regulation, cybersecurity and experimentation. For Rogelio Jiménez Pons Gómez, Undersecretary of Transport of Mexico’s Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), it is necessary to design "new business models that incentivize the deployment of more infrastructure to expand the coverage of new technologies such as 5G and ensure profitability for operators, and that consider viable affordability and accessibility alternatives that expand the penetration of services”.

In this first session, Daniel Hajj Aboumrad, CEO of América Móvil, and Lucas Gallitto, Director of GSMA for Latin America, also discussed legal security and investments. Interviewed by Gallitto, Hajj Aboumrad stated: "We must continue to move forward; significant investment is still required in the sector, it is important to have regulations that promote investment and foster convergence, to achieve a resilient infrastructure, availability of spectrum while avoiding high costs, smart devices at adequate prices and a tax framework that promotes coverage and accessibility of people to services”.

Experts from CAF—development bank of Latin America—and UNESCO also delved into the importance of promoting inclusiveness in the digital societies of the future, as well as the role of development banking for digital prosperity in Latin America and the Caribbean. “We want to stress the importance of digital transformation and its disruptive potential for better supply, greater equality of access and sustainability in the face of the challenges posed by climate change. The benefits of a digital approach to adaptation in climate mitigation are noteworthy,” said René Orellana Halkyer, CAF Regional Manager for Mexico and Central America. 

In the last 10 years, CAF has financed digital transformation projects for USD 3.73 billion and has allocated nearly USD 16 million to promote an agenda of actionable knowledge and technical assistance to accelerate digitalization in the region. The goal is clear: To position the region at an advanced digital development level and to dissipate, at least partially, the asymmetries in digitalization of our countries.

You still have time to participate, registration for CLTD 2022 is open and free, and attendees will also be able to access the Mobile 360 Latin America exhibition area and conference sessions (November 29–December 1) focusing on Cloud & Edge, Connectivity and Societies of the Future. Browse the agenda and register here.