LACNIC and a Key Decade: From 8% to 40% Internet Penetration in the Region

04/10/2012

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.

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).

New technologies, broadband, the challenges of computer security, the strengthening of regional connectivity, Internet governance. Given the importance of the topics to be discussed and the quality of the speakers, during that week Montevideo will become the Internet’s world capital.

Steve Croker (Chairman of the Board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), Lynn St. Amour (president of the Internet Society), Marcos Galperin (CEO of MercadoLibre), Patrik Fältstrom (Chairman of ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee), Caio Bonilha (President of Telebras) are some of the prominent members of the Internet community that have already confirmed their presence in Montevideo.

In addition, we will also take advantage of the occasion to distinguish the 10 regional leaders who have contributed the most to the ongoing development of the Internet and the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In October, the Internet will visit Montevideo for an event that no member of the community should miss.