Industry leaders from Latin American organizations, ecosystem partners, and carriers gathered to discuss trends, challenges, business success practices, and innovative applications of optical fibers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Bob Cai, President of Huawei Latin America Carrier Business, opened the conference by stating that broadband connectivity is rapidly growing in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Brazil, where 5G infrastructure is developing at high speed. “Fiber optics is considered a key part of the solution,”he added.
According to ITU research, every 10% increase in fiber penetration can increase GDP by 1.9%. Many Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, have released policies to accelerate optical fiber development. According to the Broadband Strategy of Brazil, the optical fiber backhaul rate will reach 100% in areas with more than 600 people and the home access bandwidth will reach over Gbit/s by 2027.
Rodrigo Robles, Program Officer, Regional Office Brasilia, ITU, emphasized the importance of broadband connectivity to nations accomplishing the UN sustainable goals. He stated: “By 2030, the goal is to have every person with internet access, be it in the workplace, at home, or in a school. To achieve such a task, governments and enterprises must invest in infrastructure, affordability, digital skills, and content."
“In the coming years, we will address these challenges of bringing connectivity countrywide,” informed Jorge Borges, Competition Superintendent of Anatel Brazil. Facing a need to take connectivity to remote, less populated regions in Brazil nowadays, the government agency is committed to accelerating the implementation of fiber optics in the country as a key developing factor. “Our investments in isolated locations, including infovias in the north, are on the way. We are also in a moment of regulatory change, focusing on the user and fostering new markets. We are committed to take connectivity into people's daily lives and to streamline new economic sectors."
Huawei has deployed more than 8,000 kilometers of optical fiber in the state of Amazon, enabling 3.7 million people to access the Internet. "Huawei will also continue to work hard in the future to not let anyone fall behind in the digital world," Cai said.
Major carrier enterprises expressed their strategy in the same direction. “We have been investing in fiber since the first day of our broadband operations”, said Marcelo Carvalho, CMO of Claro Brazil. “The Brazilian market is a very competitive one, so the secret is to deliver the service according to the user's needs. But, not only. In a continental country, public policies are fundamental to solve inequalities and affordability”, he continued. Átila Branco, CTIO of Fibrasil, and Marcio Estefan, CCO of I-Systems, spoke about the Brazilian fiber optics infrastructure. “The idea that each company should own its tower infrastructure belongs to the past," Estefan said. “Sharing common needs can result in better results for all players, also reducing O&M costs,” Branco agreed. “Combining towers and fiber optics offers data processing closer to our customers," Estefan added.
Rodrigo Abreu, CEO of Oi Brazil, stated that “Oi achieved impressive results as it started to execute its transformation plan focused on fiber. The company is developing one of the boldest and largest FTTH projects in the world.” Algar Telecom CEO Jean Borges, a long-time Huawei partner in Brazil, informed that the company has an infrastructure of fiber optics that covers 13 states. “We are focused on the user's experience as the guide to service quality and modernization”, he added. Ookla also mentioned the importance of the user’s experiences. The Senior Director for Latin America, Lourenço Lanfranchi said : "Ookla serves as a bridge between the consumer and the industry. Quality of Experience and Quality of Service are key to understanding the user's perspective.”
The meeting ended with the launch of the Latan Fiber Broadband Initiative, gathering the market ecosystem to accelerate fiber broadband development in the continent. Bob Cai called on governments, regulators, operators, and industry partners to work together to accelerate fiber broadband in Latin America and light up the digital. "Huawei is committed to providing the intelligent, efficient and cost-effective Digital Fiber solution, helping carriers efficiently deploy FTTH networks, provide premium user experience, implement intelligent O&M, and provide various innovative services for homes and enterprises, ” he ended.
About Huawei
Huawei is a global leader in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, and one of the world's most valuable brands, according to Forbes. The company's vision is to enrich people's lives through digital technologies and is dedicated to customer-centered innovation. Huawei has four business units in Brazil: the group dedicated to operators, which offers telecommunications equipment and infrastructure; the area that meets the needs of the corporate market, providing ICT solutions and infrastructure; Huawei Cloud, with public and hybrid cloud services and solutions to scale businesses with stability and security; and Huawei Digital Power, with intelligent solutions aimed at generating, distributing and storing photovoltaic energy. The company also develops projects in the area of intelligent automotive solutions and devices for the end consumer, such as smartwatches, routers, smartphones and others. With more than 207,000 employees worldwide, the company serves more than a third of the world's population. Huawei also believes that digitalization is the path to a more sustainable world and a zero-carbon economy based on renewable energy sources. Huawei is one of the companies that invests the most in research in the world. That's why it has become one of the major patent holders in the world. In the new digital age, the ICT industry requires even more investment in research and development, and Huawei will continue to play its leading role in innovation to build a fully connected and intelligent world. Huawei has been in Brazil for 25 years and wants to become an increasingly important partner in the digital transformation and in contributing sustainable technologies to Brazilian society. As well as being a leader in the national fixed and mobile broadband market through its partnerships with the main telecommunications operators, Huawei has an integrated profile, with solutions for the public, private, financial, transportation, mining and energy sectors, among others. The company has offices in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Curitiba and Recife, as well as a Distribution Center in Sorocaba (SP) and two manufacturing units, in Jundiaí (SP) and Manaus (AM). It works in partnership with Brazilians, driving innovation and helping to develop new local talent for the telecommunications sector. In the last 10 years, it has trained more than 40,000 professionals throughout Brazil.
