The LATAM Fiber Broadband Leaders Summit, hosted by Huawei, with the support of ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and Informa Markets, and Huawei, was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Industry leaders from Latin American industry organizations, ecosystem partners, and carriers gathered together to discuss development trends, business success practices, and innovative applications of optical fiber in Latin America. During the meeting, Bob Cai, President of Huawei Latin America Carrier Business called on governments, regulators, carriers, and industry partners to work together to accelerate the development of fiber broadband in Latin America and light up Digital LATAM.
In recent years, with increasing demand for better network connections, optical networks in Latin America have continued to develop rapidly to become the most important broadband access technology. By 2023, the penetration rate of optical fiber in Latin America will exceed 30%, and the number of optical fiber users will exceed 60 million. However, 40% of households in Latin America still do not have fixed broadband access and cannot enjoy the convenience of telework, online education, e-commerce, and digital healthcare. Huawei promotes inclusive connectivity. Starting from 2020, Huawei has deployed more than 8,000 kilometers of optical fiber in the Amazon rainforest, enabling 3.7 million people in the Amazon 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.
Fiber-optic broadband has become one of the key driving forces for national economic growth and competitiveness improvement. It enriches people lives and brings new impetus to digital transformation in all industries. According to ITU’s research, every 10% increase in fiber penetration will increase GDP by 1.9%. Many Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, have released policies to accelerate optical fiber development. For example, according to the Broadband Strategy of Brazil, the optical fiber backhaul rate will reach 100% in areas with more than 600 people and average home access bandwidth will be over 1 Gbit/s by 2027. Governments worldwide have concluded that developing fiber connectivity is a key priority.
In addition to social and economic values, optical fiber also brings business value to operators. In recent years, Latin America’s top 10 operators with the largest number of FTTH (fiber to the home) users have achieved a positive revenue cycle from fixed networks and will continue to invest in optical fibers in the next few years. The migration of copper and cable users to FTTH users has become a general trend. Analysts predict that, about 36 million copper and cable users migrate to FTTH every year. In future, with the continuous implementation of new technologies such as cloud and AI, the acceleration of 4K/8K/VR ultra-broadband services, and the start of industry digital transformation, new growth opportunities will be brought to operators. Fiber optics are the present and the future!
Cai said, “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. At the end of the summit, Bob called on governments, regulators, operators, and industry partners to work together to accelerate the development of fiber broadband in Latin America and light up the Digital LATAM.
