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Looking ahead to 5G forms part of justification for national connectivity plans in many markets, recently-renamed 5G Americas points out.
Operators across Latin America are still working hard to roll out 4G mobile services, but they are also preparing for the fifth generation of mobile technology.
As a result, "the timing was right," for an identity tweak, said Chris Pearson, president of newly-renamed industry body 5G Americas, at Mobile World Congress this week.
5G Americas – or 4G Americas, as it was known until mid-February – has been working on 5G for more than two years, he told Total Telecom. And preparations for the next generation are underway in Latin America just like they are north of the border, he said.
LTE "still has a long way to go in Latin America," with subscribers standing at around the 52 million mark, Pearson said. But at the same time, many governments and key stakeholders are asking about 5G.
Many markets in the region are including the need to plan for 5G as part of the justification for their national connectivity plans, explained Jose Otero, director of Latin America and the Caribbean at 5G Americas.
Chile is working on the deployment of a nationwide fibre-optic network, as well as new subsea cable system between itself and China, and has indicated that "this is part of our work to prepare for 5G," Otero said.
Countries are also studying spectrum allocation, he said, including Colombia which is looking at unlicensed spectrum.
