Chile increases the use of ICT and leads the ranking in Latin AmericaPublished: June 23, 2010
Chile is in good health regarding development material and adoption of new technology. According to the latest results from the Information Society (IS) indicators, the country is growing in the use of ICT and leads the raking in Latin America.
The report corresponds to the period between Jan-Mar 2010, this gave the country the highest score in the region with 5.70, over a maximum of 10. Followed by Argentina (4.77), Peru (4.64), Brasil (4.48), Mexico (4.45) and Colombia (4.29).
According to the study, elaborated by the business consulting company Everis and the Center for Latin American Studies from the University of Navarra, the total expense on IT per inhabitant reached US$442, which meant a 19.2 growth compared to the same trimester in 2009.
The online retail sales reached US$ 107 per capita, which represent an increase of 48.2%. In the use of computers, Chile was the leader in the region, with 378 computers per each 1.000 inhabitants, 9.9% more than in previous period. In regards to servers, they showed a rate increase from 5.8 to 6.2 per each 1,000 people.
The report also mentions a second place for the country in the adoption of cell phones behind Argentina, but over the average in the United States and Latin America.
Chile has constant technological development and it still has space to grow, affirmed René Romo, senior Telecom Manager at Everis.
More incentivesThe advancement of Chile is not casual, it comes from a systematic process that the country has been going through during the last years, says Andrés Wallis, director of corporate relations for Telefonica Chile.
"Thanks to the users interest in adopting new technologies, company investments and public policies that have been created for this reason, the country enjoys this leadership and is vanguard in technology. Today we have the latest technology that exists in the world", he says.
The ICT's have played a key role in the national market, principally improving productivity, assures Luiz Marcelo Moncay, General Manager for Microsoft Chile. Even though the country leads the ranking in Latin America, they need to invest more to maintain this spot, adds the executive.
"This means that we have to bet on improving education, so that future workers know how to use unique technology. It is also key to propose innovation on creativity and development of national solutions, with laws that promote good projects", he emphasizes.
Chile is a country open to innovation and the adoption of new technologies, but in order to continue to progress, it is fundamental that "we be a country that creates ideas", highlights the executive.
For this, he adds, there is a need for economic incentives focused towards new business ventures and increasing investment in R&D.
Source: Diario Financiero