ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005

A REGION OF OPPORTUNITY

The Americas is a region offering a multitude of growth prospects. Ongoing telecoms market liberalization, backed by recovering economies, has created a raft of different investment opportunities. Between 1992-2002, teledensity levels (main telephone lines and mobile users per 100 inhabitants) in Latin America increased by almost 400 per cent to reach 35.4, whilst in the Caribbean region growth was even steeper, with teledensity levels reaching 52.6 by 2002, up from 9.8 in 1992.

REFLECTING GROWTH ACROSS KEY TELECOMS SECTORS

Fixed-line numbers have maintained a steady increase throughout most of the region. Countries such as Brazil and Mexico have shown the highest fixed-line growth rates. Regional mobile subscriber numbers have seen very healthy growth in recent years, reaching, for example, 46 million in Brazil in 2003 – equating to a mobile penetration rate of 26 per cent – and topping the 30 million mark in Mexico. Internet use has also grown steadily over the last five years. Internet penetration rates vary considerably across the region from around 4 per cent in countries such as Bolivia or Columbia to 8.2 per cent in Brazil and 23.17 per cent in Chile in 2002. And broadband Internet use is also increasing, particularly in Brazil and Chile.

A POSITIVE FUTURE
Continued Demand Backed by Recovering Economies

Demand for new technologies such as broadband, satellite and mobile has been increasing rapidly in the last few years. Broadband rollout has been helped by a range of different infrastructure solutions that deliver broadband to end users. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technologies are the most popular, whilst cable networks also have a strong showing. Satellite is mainly used in the region to support broadcast TV, for which there is huge demand, and which is being satisfied by new channels and locally-sourced content. As the region ’s markets continue to recover and the economic stability of the region continues to improve, so too do the prospects for investment and growth in the telecoms sector. Explore these new growth areas and technologies at the AMERICAS 2005 Exhibition and Forum!