The asymmetries of SMEs with large companies always existed, but we must know how to deal with them by concentrating on smaller localities, said Gustavo Lapid, CEO of IPtel, during the panel "Convergence Opportunities". "For us, serving smaller locations is attractive and adequate". For Lapid, the keys to compete are: entering niche markets, investing in infrastructure, and serving the customer's experience.
Lapid recalled when in the 90's he started offering Internet service in Córdoba and Telecom wanted to buy it. At that time he thought that he would not be able to compete with the big onesbut the story was different: "When Telecom appeared with Arnet we did not lose customers, the diffusion the big ones gave to the Internet helped us to add clients, we were able to overcome the threat situation through the closeness that an SME has with users".
Other model could be to establish alliances among SMEs, proposed Mario Carranza, president of Davitel, who highlighted the role played by the Cámara Argentina de Internet (Cabase) (Argentine Internet Chamber) in the price reduction of the Internet's wholesaler mega. "We are building an alliance to turn analog TV into Internet TV; other one with Directv to offer satellite TV; another to lower the costs of our inputs and jointly buy FTTH equipment", he explained.
Horacio Martinez, CEO of Grupo Datco, alerted the entire sector on the need to increase efforts to raise the average fixed broadband speed. For Martinez, the average speed should be 30 Mbps.