Monday, June 22, 2020

Chile renews debate on the Internet as a public service with the pandemic

Senator Juan Pablo Letelier, of the Socialist Party, presented during a virtual discussion organized by the Argentine Chamber of Deputies about the inequalities in coverage and quality evidenced in recent months, and their impact on the legislative discussion. Cybersecurity is strengthening as another parallel debate, not only for the protection of personal data, but in view of the China-United States conflict.

In recent months, the Chilean telecommunications industry has been able to adapt to telework, distance education, and agreements with content providers. However, the Covid-19 pandemic revealed inequalities in coverage and quality of three types: users who stopped contracting due to lack of income; geographical areas with service failures due to less availability of services; and digital illiteracy. The senator for the Chilean Socialist Party Juan Pablo Letelier - in turn, president of the Transport and Telecommunications Commission - explained that the country is in its first steps of discussion about the Internet as a public service, in a context in which “they demonstrated the problems in coverage and quality, because the industry tends to provide services where it can skim, and neglects quality in lower-income areas," he said.

Read full article

MORE ANALYSIS

Globales · Economy04/12/2025

WEF says that if the ICT sector reduces its environmental impact, it can add US$ 800 billion in value

A new study to be discussed at the 2026 Davos Forum highlights the economic benefits of reducing the use of natural resources through strategies such as circular economy practices, recycling, and the use of renewable energy.

América Latina · Submarine Cables · Terrestrial Backbones · Data Center03/12/2025

Data center fervor pushes Latin American carrier ecosystem to become AI-Ready

Terrestrial networks and submarine cables ecosystem prepares to meet demands of Generative AI and the new processing capabilities required by existing and upcoming AI data centers

América Latina · Smartphones & Devices02/12/2025

Trasna’s new factory in Brazil could be operational by early 2026

This was confirmed to Convergencialatina by Gabriel Poggio, the company’s director for Latin America and Iberia, which specializes in IoT, SIM/eSIM and connectivity solutions.

Chile · Satellites · Operators01/12/2025

Entel’s D2D proposal shakes up the regional landscape

It is the first service of its kind in the Latin American region. It uses the 1,900 MHz band with a 5 MHz bandwidth and is supported by the 650 Starlink LEO satellites operating over Chilean territory.

América Latina · Internet & OTT26/11/2025

Carriers face the latest snapshot with two incumbents

The Internet market in Argentina is awaiting a decision on the operation between Telecom and Telefónica, which is still pending approval from the National Commission for the Defense of Competition (CNDC) and the National Communications Entity (Enacom).

List all analysis