Communal Internet access in Latin America

Zia Daniell Wigder | May 29, 2007, 09:25 AM

When talking about global Internet access, it’s important to remember that the PC in the home model that is prevalent in the US, Europe and parts of Asia is far less common in the developing areas of the world. In these areas, communal access, whether at work, school or Internet cafes, tends to be a far more popular – and economical – way to access the Internet.

A couple of interesting Latin American initiatives were pointed out to me recently by iCrossing’s Noah Elkin. In countries such as Peru (the site's in Spanish – translate it here), Internet access centers (cabinas) have been rolled out extensively: estimates put the total number of cabinas in Peru well into the thousands. These centers generally provide access through single DSL line shared among 10 or so computers. The model has had a significant impact on overall connectivity levels in the country: a UN report a couple of years ago estimated that upward of 85 percent of online users in Peru access the Internet through one of these centers. A similar model has been used in El Salvador where Internet penetration remains far lower than in Peru.

Access outside the home is not a new concept – Jupiter has been writing about this topic since 2000 – but it’s one that continues to dominate the connectivity landscape outside the US more than we realize. More on this topic to come.