Connectivity in schools is the driver of ICTs in Argentina

In past years, the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Argentina shows a positive trend. In 2011, the sector's contribution was 4.5 percent. 

The study "Hacia la Digitalización de América Latina: las infraestructuras y los servicios TIC en la región"(Toward the Digitalization of Latin America: Infrastructure and ICT services in the Region) carried out by CAF indicates that even though fixed and mobile wide band remain at medium levels, demand for the services is significant due to the impact of the use of mobile telephony on the population, and also because the number of users is one of the largest in Latin America. 

In 2012, penetration in fixed telephony reached 22.26 percent, and in mobile telephony it reached 142.06 percent. In the educational sector, in 2009 84 percent of the primary educational establishments and 50 percent of the secondary educational establishments had access to internet, while access to wide band was 17 percent in primary, and 33 percent in secondary. 

With respect to telecommunication infrastructure, the country prioritizes the needs of the sector through the National Telecommunication PlanArgentinaConectada, a comprehensive connectivity strategy seeking to improve the optic fiber network and generate a digital services platform for the governmental sector and citizens, emphasizing education and wide band. 

In this context, the technological advancement and connectivity needs of the schools as drivers for development and the implementation of programs in the framework of universal service, among others, are some of the challenges that Argentina faces in the ICT sector.