Latin America News Q3 2018

LATINAMERICANEWS / Q3 2018 5 NEWS , Latin America will close 2018 with a total of 82.2 million fixed broadband connections, an increase of nearly 6% when compared to 2017, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. According to the company’s latest Fixed Communication Demand forecast, by 2023, close to 17 million fixed broadband connections will be added in the region reaching 99.1 million. Latin America’s fixed broadband penetration of population stood at 12.3% in 2017, slightly below the global average of 13.4% but still significantly behind the penetration index achieved in developed regions such as Western Europe (36%) and North America (30.7%). Marcelo Kawanami, Research Manager at GlobalData, comments: “Nevertheless, fixed broadband adoption levels in Latin America vary widely. While Uruguay presents a fixed broadband penetration of population of over 26%, countries such as Paraguay, Guatemala, Bolivia and Honduras are still below 5%.” In countries where fixed broadband adoption is still far behind the region’s average, National Broadband Plans are key to foster fixed broadband access and development. In Honduras, the government launched ‘Internet del Pueblo’, a scheme aimed to provide 15,000 free Internet access points in public venues through 2018. As of January 2018, the government connected 2,000 public schools and 155 public parks. In Paraguay, the new National Telecommunications Plan for 2016–2020 aims to increase broadband penetration to 40% of households, 70% of businesses and 100% of government institutions by 2020. Broadband Connections Grow in Latin America Fixed broadband to reach 82.2million connections in Latin America by the end of 2018, says GlobalData The Americas’ boxboard sector is being jolted by China’s ongoing waste-paper import restrictions. These policies have created a fiber deficit of at least 6 million tonnes for China’s boxboard producers – a shortfall expected to sharply reduce Chinese exports. The ripple effects of these disruptions on markets throughout the Americas are explored by the World Boxboard Study: Americas, a study published by RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. RISI is the leading information provider for the global forest products industry. The company works with clients in the pulp and paper, packaging, wood products, timber, biomass, tissue and nonwovens industries to help them make better decisions. Headquartered in Boston, MA, RISI operates additional offices throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia and is a subsidiary of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, a global business-to-business price reporting and information group. “China’s boxboard industry has been heavily dependent on waste paper imports from the US,” said Abdulla Zaid, RISI Economist for North American Packaging and co-author of the new study. “Much of its output was then exported back to the US market, but going forward, we forecast that China’s fiber deficit will reduce its market share. Also, much of the waste paper that would have been sent to China is now available for US producers, lowering their production costs,” continued Zaid. “Brazil and Chile, as relatively low-cost producers, are positioned to strongly increase their exports as China retreats,” explained Amanda Fantinatti, study co-author and RISI Economist for Latin American Packaging. “This could help the South American boxboard industry cope with political and economic uncertainty in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and other important markets. Trade flows of key substrates throughout the Americas could shift significantly through 2022 and beyond,” said Fantinatti. The World Boxboard Study: Americas provides grade-level demand, supply and trade data and analysis of the region’s cartonboard markets. The new study, along with companion reports for Europe and Asia to be released later in 2018, builds its forecasts around a proprietary grade classification system that enables comparative analysis worldwide. “Boxboard grades are not defined and labeled consistently in every major market,” explained Ken Waghorne, RISI Vice President for Global Packaging. “This means that the global outlook for boxboard cannot be determined by simply adding up regional totals. The World Boxboard Study enables accurate comparisons – and forecasts – across all key global markets.”