New study analyzes Latin American telecomuncations industry

Results from the study El Ecosistema y Economía Digital en América Latina (The Ecosystem and Digital Economics in Latin America), meant to encourage dialogue that will define public policies for the development of the region's digital ecosystem, was released on Thursday. 

The study was conducted by CAF, the development bank of Latin America; the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; the Centro de Estudios de Telecomunicaciones de América Latina; and the Fundacion Telefonica. It sought to understand the transformation of the telecommunications and Internet-based services industries.

Authors of the report analyzed how recent changes within the Latin American digital ecosystem impacted key variables for the development and competitiveness of the economies of the region. They also gave recommendations based on workshops carried out in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, with more than 180 opinion leaders from the academic and governmental sectors, entrepreneurs, telecommunications enterprises, and users of over-the-top services.

The study was presented during the V Ministerial Conference on the Information Society of Latin America and the Caribbean last week.

Conference participants included the author of the study, Raúl Katz, associate professor in the Division of Economics and Finances at the Business School of Columbia University; Moira Paz-Estenssoro, CAF’s director representative in Mexico; Mario Cimoli, director of ECLAC’s Division of Productive and Entrepreneurial Development; Pablo Bello, executive director of CET.La; and Claudio Muñoz, president of Telefonica en Chile.