Argentina. By 2022, market consultancy GlobalData expects 88.1 percent of Latin America's mobile subscribers to be using mobile data, up from the current 60 percent, leandro Agión, the company's senior analyst, said in a webinar hosted by 5G Americas.
"With a 26.6 percent share of 4G LTE over total mobile, Latin America is the fourth region in the world in this section. However, there is a very strong demand for mobile data, close to 70 percent of subscribers use mobile data. In this line, Latin America is the second global region. This indicates that the delay in the adoption of 4G does not have to do with a lack of demand, but with the availability of networks, affordable devices and in general with the purchasing power of the inhabitants, "explained Agión in the webinar "Intensive apps and affordable smartphones support mobile growth" organized by 5G Americas.
The analyst also said that "By 2022, we expect 1.3 percent of Latin America's mobile subscriptions in 5G; that is, about 10 million subscriptions. The roadmap for 5G is not yet clear, although from GlobalData we expect that the first deployments that occur towards 5G will occur after 2021. The countries where we expect this to happen are Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil, among others."
About the development of LTE in the region, he explained that "the adoption of 4G in Latin America has been uneven, but it is growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. From 2015 to 2017 it grew by an annual average of 80 percent, reaching 181 million subscriptions by the end of this year, equivalent to 26.6 percent of the total."
The specialist detailed, regarding the growth of 4G, that there are two large accelerators and two large inhibitors. "On the accelerator side, we can find the use of data-intensive applications, such as OTT messaging, voice and video, or video and music streaming; and device affordability. We see that there are more and more cheap 4G devices and operators – and some governments – are working not only with discounts but also with financing so that users can access."
And he added that "regarding inhibitors, we can highlight the low purchasing power of the average population, and the need for radio spectrum. GlobalData believes that in general, Latin American regulation is favorable to the development of 4G. However, there is a growth in the demand for data that will soon lead to a deficit in the ability to respond to that demand. The need for spectrum will be a key issue in the coming years to be able to cover it. Another aspect is technological neutrality, allowing operators to use any technology in the spectrum granted."
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