INFOGRAPHIC
Chile needs a solid approach to rural digital development
The progress of telecommunications in rural areas should be considered not as a secondary issue but as a central part of national development .
Chile has the best connectivity rates for telecommunications services in Latin America . According to data from the Chilean Chamber of Digital Infrastructure ( IICAM ) 92 % of households have mobile connections , 64 % have fixed ones and 90 % of businesses have digital connectivity .
In Chile , there are 25 million active mobile phones with 98 % geographic coverage and 96 % mobile Internet access on 4G networks . However , over 2,000 rural and suburban locations lack mobile and fixed services . Out of 7.6 million households only 3.6 million have access to any fixed connection . have this type of connection while only 4 % have access to fixed broadband in rural areas .
The regions with the lowest internet penetration are Araucanía with 33 %, Ñuble with 33.8 % and Maule with 37.4 % – which are precisely the Chilean regions with a significant presence in the agricultural world .
The municipalities without access or partial access to fixed broadband are in rural areas of Chile .
The country still faces significant challenges concerning the number of people , households and businesses that lack internet access . According to Rodrigo Ramírez Pino , President of IDICAM , in a recent presentation to 5G Americas , 32 % of households do not have fixed internet access .
Furthermore , 78 % of households in the higher income bracket have access to fixed broadband , compared to only 32 % in the lower income bracket . When these numbers are compared between urban and rural areas an even wider gap is evident : 54 % of urban households
The solution to the remaining connectivity gaps , especially in remote and rural areas , requires a multidisciplinary approach involving the public sector at different levels , including local , regional and national governments .
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