BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 4, 2011 – Cisco today announced the results of the Broadband Barometer 2010, which in this edition highlights the growth of mobile broadband connections. Between December 2009 and December 2010, 1.7 million mobile connections were added in Argentina, representing a growth of 161.7 percent over the previous period.
As for fixed broadband, Argentina has been growing in a sustained way since the first Cisco study began six years ago. Argentina has more than 4.6 million fixed broadband connections, of which 4.16 million are in the residential segment. Out of the country's 12.05 million residences, only 34.5 percent have Internet connections with broadband technology.
By the end of 2010, Argentina had a broadband penetration of 11.7 percent (connections per 100 habitants). This has been achieved due to technological and socio-economic accelerators and industry investments that have allowed Argentina to keep in second place in Latin America, preceded only by Uruguay (with 12.3 percent penetration), whose growth was in part supported by the CEIBAL plan of the Uruguayan government. This plan aims to deliver free laptops and broadband connections to each student and teacher in public schools throughout the country in order to reduce the digital gap, foster inclusion, and increase equity in access to education.
Cisco Broadband Barometer 2010 Highlights:
- From December 2009 through December 2010, fixed broadband experienced an increase of 17.1 percent. During that period 674,000 new connections were added in Argentina.
- More than half (65 percent) of fixed broadband connections are concentrated in the Capital District of Buenos Aires. In spite of that, connections outside the metropolitan area grew 30.2 percent due to the continuous improvement in service provider offers and coverage, while in the metropolitan area the growth was 11.3 percent.
- More than half (55.8 percent) of broadband connections have speeds higher than 1 megabit per second. Service providers have focused their offers in speeds higher than 3 Mbps.
- During 2010 a growth of 161.7 percent in mobile broadband connections was generated, reaching 1,709,242 connections.
- Mobile broadband growth is confirmed in the results of the Cisco Visual Connectivity Index (VNI), which highlights the fact that global traffic will grow 26 times between 2010 and 2015. The main factors for this evolution are the increase in mobile devices like tablets and smartphones and the consumption of applications and services of such devices.
About the evolution of broadband in Argentina since 2005, the beginning of the Cisco Barometer:
- From December 2005 until December 2010, fixed broadband connections in Argentina have grown 384 percent.
- During the same period, the increase in the PC installed base was 152 percent. Comparatively, fixed broadband connections grew 2.5 times as much as the PC installed base. The increase in mobile broadband was 3.7 times as great.
- The country target set by Cisco was 5 million connections, and it was exceeded by 1.3 million with a combination of fixed and mobile connections.
Supporting Quotes
- Juan Pablo Estevez, Southern Cone regional director
"Networking innovations illustrate the importance of broadband in the population's quality of life. In 2010, the investments of service providers were fundamental to broadband networks' continued growth, expanding the role of the network in all aspects. Since the beginning of the Cisco Broadband Barometer, we have witnessed a major growth of connections in Argentina, especially outside the metropolitan area, made possible by the growth in speed and mobility.
Cisco Broadband Barometer has shown throughout its six years the strategic value of the network and its importance in the development of countries. Cisco's commitment is to give intelligence and value to networks, and to propel the growth of societies."
For more information:
About the Cisco Broadband Barometer
Cisco Broadband Barometer is an initiative to promote and encourage the accelerated growth of broadband connections in Latin America. It sets goals regarding the number of connections, establishes a periodic measurement of progress, publishes these results, and develops strategies with service providers and governments.
Currently, the Cisco Barometer measures broadband growth in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru and Uruguay. The Barometer has been supported in each case by the national government.
