Latin America. In 2019, 4G LTE connections should surpass in number of subscriptions to its predecessor, 3G. By 2022, 65 percent of mobile connections will be 4G, driven mainly by the expansion of the coverage of these networks, according to the consultancy GlobalData.
In a webinar organized by 5G Americas, Leandro Agión, Senior Analyst for Latin America at Global Data, also pointed out that the firm "considers that 4G subscriptions will double until 2022, leveraged mainly in the effort of operators to increase the coverage area and quality of 4G communications in the region."
Meanwhile, the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of 5G Americas, José Otero, drew attention to the need to make frequencies available for the deployment of networks. "Radio spectrum is the vital input of wireless networks, and we are already approaching the world of 5G that will enable the Internet of Things (IoT). The main concern for the future is that we will need in densely populated areas between 3 and 18 GHz of frequencies so that the technologies can work correctly," he said.
Otero added that "the main country in Latin America that has delivered the most spectrum for the operation of 2G, 3G and 4G in aggregate form is Brazil, and barely exceeds 600 MHz. We are quite far from the amounts of radio spectrum that must be delivered to operators. It is worth remembering that this must be done in a transparent way, with fair and equitable processes, and that the frequencies are completely clean so that consumers can benefit."
According to GlobalData, mobile subscriptions in Latin America will reach 804 million by 2022. "The main factor for this increase will be the growth of smartphones, which if we take the next four years of our projections will add 135 million new subscriptions," explained Agión.
Regarding the evolution of mobile technologies, the expert said: "Our vision is that 5G will reach Latin America in mid-2021 with its first commercial offers in the main countries of the region. Operators, as we see, are still focused on increasing the coverage area of 4G and monetizing their investments in this technology. Therefore, beyond the fact that many tests are being done in several countries, we do not believe that 5G will arrive before that deadline."
"Finally, we believe that machine-to-machine (M2M) communications will double in the forecast period, surpassing 70 million subscriptions by 2022. The main applications in this period will be fleet management, smart cities and connected cars."
