The digital divide: A challenge and an opportunity for Latin America

The progress is evident: today, virtually all of the region's inhabitants have a cell phone, and in recent years the number of Internet users has more than doubled. In fact, the percent of Latin Americans who use the Internet has shot up from 16.6% in 2005 to 53.5% in 2015, according to the report entitled "The Digital Ecosystem and Economy in Latin America" [El ecosistema y la economía digital en América latina], coedited by CAF - development bank of Latin America, CEPAL, CET.LA and Fundación Telefónica.

Nevertheless, although almost 50% of Latin Americans already participate in the digital universe, this percentage is far from the levels recorded in developed OECD countries, where Internet use rates are around 82.2%, resulting in a gap of more than 28%.

In addition to this, the heterogeneity among the region's countries must also be taken into account. While in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala the number of Internet users does not exceed 30% of the population, in seven countries-Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Dominican Republic-the number does not reach 50%, and only in six countries is it greater than that percentage, with Chile leading, followed by Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Furthermore, local offers of digital products and services have not increased at the same rate as access. Of the ten most important Latin American Internet sites in terms of traffic, six were originally developed outside of the region, although it is worth mentioning that many of them offer local content. 

Far from being discouraging, these data reveal a great opportunity: the nascent digital economy still has great room to grow in Latin America and to consolidate itself in a dynamic and sustainable process of value creation. There is still a long road ahead in order to reach half of Latin Americans participating in this transformation.

"We have before us the challenge of developing a true Latin American digital economy that compares us with the most developed countries, and we also have the opportunity to offer universal access to the digital world that contributes to equality of opportunities for all Latin Americans," explains Mauricio Agudelo, telecommunications expert at CAF.

According to the expert, the challenge of the new Digital Agenda for Latin America (eLAC2018) is framed around the ubiquity of the Internet, technological convergence, high-speed networks, the digital economy, electronic governance and macro-data analytics, without putting aside the unresolved needs regarding access and use of ICTs. In the coming years, eLAC2018 must develop a digital ecosystem that fosters a society based on knowledge, inclusion, equality, innovation and environmental sustainability.

One of the main themes of this agenda is the configuration of a Digital Single Market in Latin America with the aim of reducing digital barriers and creating a more economically efficient area in which people and businesses can transact, innovate and interact in a legal, secure and low-cost manner, thereby improving the lives of all of the market's agents.

Among others, these topics shall be covered in the 4^th Latin American Telecommunications Congress 2016, which is to be held from June 20 to 23 in Cancun, Mexico, and in which government officials, executives and international digital world experts will participate. 

The gathering, organized by IUT, CAF, GSMA, Inter-American Telecommunication Companies Association (ASIET,Spanish acronym) and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico, is the most important yearly forum which is held to discuss Latin America's telecommunication public policies.