This annual report offers a wealth of information on the Broadband and Internet markets, covering: Internet Market, Analysis and Developments Internet Access Locations and ISPs Broadband Market, Analysis and Developments The Broadbanding of Latin America (Trends, Growth Patterns, Prospects) Major Broadband Service Providers xDSL, Cable Modems, Wireless Broadband WiFi and WiMAX E-services, Electronic Invoicing, Security Concerns E-commerce and E-governmentThe Latin American and Caribbean economy grew by 4.5% in 2005, and the region’s per capita GDP is estimated to have risen by about 3%.
All Latin American countries recorded positive growth rates, ranging from 1.8% in Haiti to 9.3% in Venezuela.
Economic expansion is expected to continue unabated in 2006, and ease slightly in 2007.
GDP growth for Latin America and the Caribbean is projected to be 4.6% in 2006, and 4.1% in 2007.
Broadband grew at an annual rate of around 75% in 2005, making Latin America one of the world’s fastest growing regions in terms of broadband uptake.
However, it still accounts for only 3.9% of the world’s broadband pie.
Latin America’s Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) subscriber numbers continued to soar in 2005, growing by 88%, while cable modems and other broadband technologies grew at the more modest rate of 50%.
The Latin American broadband leaders are Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile, and in early 2006, these four countries accounted for about 90% of all broadband subscribers in the region.
In 2005, Latin America was only second to Asia in rolling out WiMAX networks.
By April 2006, WiMAX systems were operating in Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
In March 2005, Chile’s VTR was the first company in Latin America to launch Broadband Powerline (BPL) services commercially, for its residential clients.
2005 was a big year for triple play in Latin America, with several countries seeing this strategy for the first time.
By early 2006, triple play services had either been launched, or were planned, in the following markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
Latin American cable TV grew about 8% during 2005; the best performers were Mexico (+14%), Brazil (+13%), and Colombia (+12%).
Latin America may see the first deployments of IPTV in 2006, with Brazil, Chile, and Argentina at the forefront.
Broadband penetration in the region, however, is still low, and broadband TV is unlikely to become a reality in Latin America until 2007.
In mid-2005, Brazil’s Telemar conducted a trial of triple play services that included IPTV.
Telemar stated that it would make IP-based television available to its customers in the course of 2006.
Brasil Telecom also announced that it planned to launch IPTV before the end of 2006.
A few Chilean telecom operators are carrying out preliminary IPTV tests.
TV companies in Mexico began to offer Latin America’s first High-Definition TV (HDTV) services in 2005, following the government’s formal approval of the ATSC standard for Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) in July 2004.
In January 2006, the government of Brazil announced plans to conduct DTT tests in June 2006, and launch commercial transmissions in the following September.
Brazil signed an agreement with Japan, in April 2006, for the adoption of the Japanese ISDB standard for DTT.
Argentina is likely to adopt the same DTT standard as Brazil, and may begin digital TV services in late 2006.