This study discusses the current situation and evolution of broadband service offerings in Latin America and the Caribbean. The primary source of data is the annual survey of broadband plans conducted by the Center for Technology and Society at Universidad de San Andrés since 2010. The survey encompasses all broadband plans (fixed and mobile) offered by service providers with over 10% of market share in the region's most relevant markets (20 countries in total). The findings reveal a mature fixed broadband market in Latin America. While the cost per Mbps of advertised speed has dropped significantly between 2010 and 2013 (-58%), market entry prices have only dropped 11% over the same period. This indicates that fixed broadband operator prefer to compete on service quality rather than price in the middle and high-income segments of the residential market. Further, despite improvements in some price indicators, the gaps with OECD countries continue to be large. As an example, a 2.5Mbps connection in Latin America is, on average, three times more expensive than in the OECD. The findings also corroborate the opportunity to expand the market frontier with mobile broadband services. A price comparison with similar fixed access services reveals that mobile broadband is, on average, 23% cheaper. Yet the data is not conclusive as to whether mobile broadband prices exert pressure on fixed broadband prices. Also, an affordability analysis shows that, on average, Latin American users must spend six times as much as their OECD counterparts to purchase the same mobile broadband service package. The key potential offered by mobile broadband stems from the greater segmentation of broadband plans, which enables a better fit between user preferences and willingness to pay, particularly in the low-income market segment. Nonetheless, some of the observed segmentation strategies by mobile broadband operators warrant regulatory attention, as they may challenge basic principles about Internet network openness and lead to anti-competitive effects in the so-called OTT (over-the-top) market.

This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development.

Foreword -- The shifting digital paradigm in Latin America -- The demand gap: drivers and public policies -- Regional and international connectivity -- Broadband, digitization and development -- Mobile broadband: the urgent need for speedier roll-out -- Cloud computing, structural change and job creation in SMEs -- National broadband plans -- Broadband and industrial policy: the Korean experience -- Net neutrality: debate and policies -- The advance of cloud computing -- The challenge of over-the-top content and services

This book presents pioneering research that is designed to show, from a qualitative and ethnographic perspective, how new information and communication technologies, as applied to the school system and to local governance initiatives, merely reproduce traditional pedagogical approaches and the dominant forms by which power is exercised at the local level. The studies thus constitute points of departure for further thinking about the need to promote an Internet culture based on the social application of a OC right to communication and cultureOCO and an OC Internet right, OCO that will permit the establishment of true citizen participation and free access to knowledge, with due regard to personal and individual rights such as those of privacy and intimacy."

This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development. Drawing on a wealth of experience from LAC and OECD countries, the Toolkit outlines the main policy objectives in this area and provides guidance for their measurement, an overview of developments in the region, and a compilation of good practices in several areas related to broadband policy making. This comprehensive volume encompasses a wealth of areas including digital strategies, regulatory frameworks, spectrum management, competition and infrastructure bottlenecks, broadband access, affordability, sector taxation, inclusion, convergence, regional integration, education, skills, business uptake, entrepreneurship, local content, e-health, digital government, consumer policy, and digital security and privacy.

This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development. Drawing on a wealth of experience from LAC and OECD countries, the Toolkit outlines the main policy objectives in this area and provides guidance for their measurement, an overview of developments in the region, and a compilation of good practices in several areas related to broadband policy making. This comprehensive volume encompasses a wealth of areas including digital strategies, regulatory frameworks, spectrum management, competition and infrastructure bottlenecks, broadband access, affordability, sector taxation, inclusion, convergence, regional integration, education, skills, business uptake, entrepreneurship, local content, e-health, digital government, consumer policy, and digital security and privacy.

1. Internet access and use. 1.1. Access. 1.2. Use .-- 2. Digitization of production. 2.1. Robotics and automation. 2.2. Internet of Things (IoT).

Access to information communications technologies (ICTs), in particular broadband, is critical for sustainable development. Increased access to broadband isolated communities in developing countries can facilitate obtainability of education, healthcare, and commercial services. To provide universal access to broadband it is necessary to look beyond traditional terrestrial infrastructure. This study shows that satellite broadband can play a crucial role in connecting rural and low population density regions, where terrestrial broadband is not cost effective, focusing on scenarios in which satellite broadband is the best alternative for the provision of broadband connectivity. This study covers aspects of policy, regulation, technology, planning, financing, implementation, and operation in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Examines the problem of inedequate access to information and communication technology (ICT) and the need to develop appropriate pro-poor ICT policies. Shows how market reforms have failed to ensure that the benefits of the Information Society have spread across the region.