EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
IRU SCOLARI , MARKET MANAGER , FURUKAWA
ELECTRIC LATAM
5G , Internet of Things , cloud computing , Artificial Intelligence , Big Data and data centers have a common need , to have a robust channel designed to support the flow of data that grows exponentially .
The Covid19 pandemic was the scene for public and private people to see the need to accelerate efforts to
Fiber optics has emerged as the cutting-edge technology capable of offering a whole connectivity highway .
close the digital divide and ensure that no one was left out of this new trend . This made clear the importance of emerging technologies and connectivity , to enable new ways of providing essential services remotely , in essential aspects and activities such as education and health care .
Thanks to innovation and changing needs , fiber optics has emerged as the cutting-edge technology capable of offering a whole connectivity highway for cities , institutions and citizens . A clear example is the remote regions of the main cities that little by little are having access to broadband Internet service with quality and at low cost .
Likewise , an unprecedented greater flow of data is expected in the not-too-distant future .
According to the 2020 study by the GSMA Intelligence entity , the Latin American mobile market in 2019 contributed 7 % of GDP , compared to the projection of 4.5 % for 2020 in its 2014 study .
Likewise , the adoption of smartphones continues to grow rapidly , reaching 72 % of total connections in 2020 , where it is expected to reach 500 million connections in 2023 . The same entity projects that the region will have 15 million 5G mobile connections in 2022 to sustain these challenges , investments in infrastructure deployment could reach almost US $ 100 billion between 2019 and 2025 . Therefore , Latin America will have to have an infrastructure and innovation that helps sustain the needs demanded by a connected society .
5G : The engine of sustainable connectivity
The fiber optic network remains the most efficient data transmission medium , whose properties not only enable the speed and latency expected in 5G , but also have the potential to exceed them with future generations of technology .
This is the case of some countries in the region that have already begun the implementation of this new technology , and for this they began to carry out different tests , mainly in wireless networks with fixed access to the Internet , as well as in the mobile system .
According to Forbes , Chile , Brazil and Peru , until 2019 were the ones that developed the most tests using 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz bands in terms of frequency spectrum , in the case of Uruguay , Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the United States . They have already passed the testing stage and began to apply 5G . Finally , Trinidad and Tobago , and Suriname have already announced their launches .
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