Fiber Forward

FBA LATAM Corner

By Edna Preuss, Director, Industry Affairs & Member Services, FBA LATAM Chapter

The Fiber Broadband Association’s LATAM Chapter works hard to represent the industry in Latin America and advocate for the implementation of fiber technology across the region. Since creation in 2011, when fiber optic services were at the initial embryonic stages in the region, the organization has provided knowledge, resources and training to many operators that now have their network steadily transitioning from copper or HFC fixed line infrastructure to fiber.

Nonetheless, the growth doesn’t come without its challenges.

The pandemic intensified the importance of access to highquality connectivity to sustain economies, labor productivity, education, health and interpersonal relationships. Keeping these challenges in mind and aligning them with the reality of the deficits of a growing but economically fluctuating and diverse region, the LATAM Chapter, led by its President Nelson Saito and very engaged Board of Directors, has put together many efforts to stay relevant during a social distant period.

The annual conference, historically held in a different country of Latin America every year, was held virtually in 2020 and 2021. The first edition of the Fiber Connect LATAM 2021 (June 25-26) had record-breaking registrations. The event focused on “Fiber Promoting the Connection and Transformation of Society” and brought together industry-leading experts. Marketing Director Liza Poe, the members of the Marketing Committee, and the Board of Directors worked incessantly to create strong content and an engaging virtual experience.

Recognizing the change in interaction and the need to continue training, the Chapter is renovating its Training and Certification Program. A strong team effort is coming together guided by Technology Director Nicanor Ruiz and Operations Director Felipe Antunes to create eight different courses: Fiber Fundamentals, Project Designer, Field & Operations Expert, Premises Installer, Architectures, Business Expert, and Passive Optical LAN Designer. The program is at its final stages of completion and will be made available to the public shortly.

Continuing to assess the market and provide a benchmark to the region, the organization conducted its annual market study and confirmed the continuous growth of fiber deployment – Latin America surpassed 80 million homes passed by fiber. The region has intensified efforts to reach remote and isolated areas with full-fiber connectivity, many of them with strong performance from local and municipal providers. The number of subscribers also continues to grow. These advancements point to great growth in the market generated by the engagement

of the entire telecommunications ecosystem and national fiber programs, and current acquisition strategies underway in the telecommunications sector will lead to massive growth of fiber networks in Latin America, surpassing old DSL networks.

Certainly, there are many efforts to be implemented to keep momentum going and the industry growing. In recent work by the Regulatory committee under the leadership of Eduardo Jedruch, a few points were identified as important ways to generate a positive impact to support connectivity infrastructure. They include providing transport and interconnection networks, promoting sharing of telecom infrastructure among service providers, and encouraging public-private projects to offer coverage and reach the most neglected and vulnerable sectors.

The mission of the LATAM Chapter is to promote the development of fiber optic network infrastructure as a universal platform for ultra-broadband access. As an organization advocating for the deployment of Fiber technology in Latin America, we work diligently and appeal to regulatory and government agencies, service providers, technology providers, investment and funding companies, asking them to join our organization’s initiatives and support the development of regional economies.

The mission of the LATAM Chapter is to promote the development of fiber optic network infrastructure as a universal platform for ultra-broadband access.