LACNIC and a Key Decade: From 8% to 40% Internet Penetration in the Region
October 4, 2012
For an organization, ten years may seem like a short time. A decade of working for the Internet, however, is tantamount to great changes. This is what statistics show just a few days before LACNIC, the Regional Internet Registry responsible for managing IP addresses in Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrates its tenth anniversary .
At the time of LACNIC’s creation, on 31 October 2002, only 8% of Latin Americans were connected to the Internet. Today, Internet penetration has reached 40% and is expected to reach 60% of the Latin American and Caribbean community in the next three years.
In these ten years LACNIC went from six to over 2500 member organizations from every country in Latin America and the Caribbean. Working together with each of these organizations, we have laid the basis for the sustainable development of the Internet while learning from each other and respecting the peculiarities of the region.
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During this time, more than 1000 Latin American and Caribbean researchers have received financial assistance from LACNIC totaling over one and a half million dollars, funds that have been applied to research projects related to the development of the Internet and to promoting the digital inclusion of the continent’s most disadvantaged communities.
LACNIC has also provided training to over 7000 technicians to prepare them to meet the challenges of securing the Internet in the region and implementing different technologies and protocols that will allow the World Wide Web to continue to grow.
With these figures as backdrop, the 18th LACNIC meeting, which will take part starting on October 28th and ending on November 1st, is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Regional Internet Registry with the participation of renowned speakers, tributes to those who dreamt and helped make this project a reality, and a space for the community to reflect on the future (www2.lacnic.net/en/eventos/lacnicxviii/index.html).