Huawei to accelerate fibre broadband development in the region

The first LATAM Fiber Broadband Leaders Summit, hosted by Huawei, with the support of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Informa Markets, was held in São Paulo, Brazil last week. Industry leaders from Latin American organisations, ecosystem partners, and carriers gathered to discuss trends, challenges, business success practices, and innovative applications of optical fibers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Bob Cai, President of Huawei Latin America Carrier Business, opened the conference by stating that broadband connectivity is rapidly growing in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Brazil, where 5G infrastructure is developing at high speed. “Fibre optics is considered a key part of the solution,” he added.

According to ITU research, every 10-per-cent increase in fibre penetration can increase GDP by 1.9 per cent. Many Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Chile and Mexico, have released policies to accelerate optical fibre development. According to the Broadband Strategy of Brazil, the optical fibre backhaul rate will reach 100 per cent in areas with more than 600 people and the home access bandwidth will reach over Gbit/s by 2027.

Rodrigo Robles, programme officer, Regional Office Brasilia, ITU, emphasised the importance of broadband connectivity to nations accomplishing the UN sustainable goals. He stated, “By 2030, the goal is to have every person with Internet access, be it in the workplace, at home, or in a school. To achieve such a task, governments and enterprises must invest in infrastructure, affordability, digital skills, and content.”

“In the coming years, we will address these challenges of bringing connectivity countrywide,” informed Jorge Borges, Competition Superintendent of Anatel Brazil. Facing a need to take connectivity to remote, less-populated regions in Brazil nowadays, the government agency is committed to accelerating the implementation of fibre optics in the country as a key developing factor. “Our investments in isolated locations, including infovias in the north, are on the way. We are also in a moment of regulatory change, focusing on the user and fostering new markets. We are committed to take connectivity into people’s daily lives and to streamline new economic sectors.”

Huawei has deployed more than 8,000 kilometres of optical fibre in the state of Amazon, enabling 3.7 million people 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.

SAME DIRECTION

Major carrier enterprises expressed their strategy in the same direction. “We have been investing in fibre since the first day of our broadband operations”, said Marcelo Carvalho, CMO of Claro Brazil. “The Brazilian market is a very competitive one, so the secret is to deliver the service according to the user’s needs. But, not only. In a continental country, public policies are fundamental to solve inequalities and affordability”, he continued. Átila Branco, CTIO of Fibrasil, and Marcio Estefan, CCO of I-Systems, spoke about the Brazilian fibre optics infrastructure. “The idea that each company should own its tower infrastructure belongs to the past,” Estefan said. “Sharing common needs can result in better results for all players, also reducing O&M costs,” Branco agreed. “Combining towers and fibre optics offers data processing closer to our customers,” Estefan added.

Rodrigo Abreu, CEO of Oi Brazil, stated that “Oi achieved impressive results as it started to execute its transformation plan focused on fibre. The company is developing one of the boldest and largest FTTH projects in the world”. Algar Telecom CEO Jean Borges, a long-time Huawei partner in Brazil, informed that the company has an infrastructure of fiber optics that covers 13 states. “We are focused on the user’s experience as the guide to service quality and modernization,” he added. Ookla also mentioned the importance of the user’s experiences. The senior director for Latin America, Lourenço Lanfranchi said, “Ookla serves as a bridge between the consumer and the industry. Quality of Experience and Quality of Service are key to understanding the user’s perspective.”

The meeting ended with the launch of the Latan Fiber Broadband Initiative, gathering the market ecosystem to accelerate fiber broadband development in the continent. Bob Cai called on governments, regulators, operators, and industry partners to work together to accelerate fiber broadband in Latin America and light up the digital. “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,” he ended.