Support for Latin American and Caribbean Countries Broadband Planning Efforts

As part of a 2021 Inter-American Development Bank report, Vernonburg Group created a framework for the development of national broadband plans (NBP) by Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) governments. All LAC countries should have an NBP to serve as a blueprint for addressing and reducing digital inequality. However, some countries have not adopted one, and those that have need to make various updates and improvements to their plans.

The countries that have made the most progress in increasing the availability, adoption, and use of information and communications technologies have the following elements of their NBPs in common: 1) good governance; 2) clear goals; 3) regular assessment of broadband availability and adoption; 4) supply-side interventions; 5) demand-stimulation activities; and 6) monitoring and evaluation programs.

To further inform the recommendations, the national broadband planning and sectoral development efforts of four countries are examined: 1) Malaysia, 2) New Zealand, 3) Spain, and 4) the United States. Additionally, an overview of digital technologies available to achieve connectivity goals is provided.

Although the timeline will vary between countries, this report finds that an NBP that incorporates the six elements above could achieve the following targets in the LAC region:

• 4G mobile networks covering 99 percent of the population

• 5G mobile coverage in major urban settlements and along major roads and railways

• All anchor institutions (primary and secondary health-care facilities, schools, centers for administrative service provision, postal offices, youth centers, etc.) with at least 1 Gbps symmetrical fiber connections

• All households with access to fixed broadband services delivering at least 100 Mbps download capacity and 20 Mbps upload capacity, with low latency and no data caps

• At least 70 percent of youth and adults having basic digital skills