Uruguay: A small country with a large infrastructure
Uruguay is a rare exception in Latin
America, as far as its electronic infrastructure is concerned. Its
telephone network is 100% digital, which is a significant advantage when trying
to ensure widespread Internet connectivity through modern broadband
connections. Due to the country’s small size, this network also covers the vast
majority of its territory, as does the national power grid. In this sense,
Uruguay is in a very favorable position relative to other Latin American
countries, but it still hasn’t taken full advantage is this to increase
Internet penetration and reap its benefits.
A bit of history
Uruguay joined what would eventually become the Internet in
1988, through an experimental connection established between the Computing
Institute at the University of the Republic and the University
of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. In
these early days, using this connection required a long-distance call to Buenos Aires. By 1990,
the connection was being used by a growing number of the University’s faculty
and researchers, so the SECIU, the University’s IT Services department, assumed
control over it in order to provide access to all academic disciplines. In
1991, the National Science Foundation approved the use of the .uy domain, and
the SECIU became responsible for administering it. At this point, the
University began negotiations with ANTEL, the state-owned telecommunications
monopoly, to secure a low-cost link to the international network and enable
widespread access to it among educational institutions and NGOs.
At this point the technology’s user
base in the country began to expand beyond the University, but only very
slowly, due to the high prices set by ANTEL, and the lack of a permanent,
24-hour connection. The first permanent link between the University and the
international network came in 1995, launching the Internet proper in Uruguay. That
same year, ANTEL began offering dial-up Internet access to end-users and
businesses. As a result, the number of Internet users grew exponentially. In
2000, ANTEL lost its monopoly over international telecommunications, which
weakened its position as the sole ISP in the country. That year the company
began offering ADSL connections, and new ISPs started competing with it by
using wireless technologies which do not require the use of ANTEL’s physical
infrastructure.
In the
last few years, the number of Internet users has once again grown
significantly, and the level of Internet penetration is now relatively high. Recently,
however, Uruguay
has fallen behind some of the
other countries in the region in this respect, despite
its outstanding infrastructure. This might be due to the hurdles created by the
state telecommunications monopoly, as well as the lack of strong government
policies focused towards increasing Internet use among all sectors of the
population. Unless these obstacles are overcome, Internet connectivity may
remain limited, and the country may miss the opportunity to speed up its
economic development.
References:
Zamalvide,
Martín. “Estudio exploratorio
del proceso de difusión de Internet en Uruguay.” September
2001. <http://fp.tm.tue.nl/ecis/papers/iii_5_3.pdf>.