• Six out of 10 organizations in Mexico are connected to 4G or 5G networks, demonstrating the importance of networks and connectivity in these times.

The future is now: the era of connectivity

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the technological processes of digitalization in Mexico have accelerated

. Currently, the daily activities of individuals, businesses and government authorities are carried out in a hybrid (face-to-face + digital) or fully digital environment.

In other words, what in past years was seen as something distant, is now a reality: connected fleets of cargo or emergency vehicles, online menus in restaurants, subterranean mines connected to the surface during all their operations, the possibility of buying and receiving a product without leaving home, medical attention to patients in remote locations, and even smart cities. 

In Mexico, according to data from the National Survey on Availability and Use of Information Technologies in Households 2020 (ENDUTIH), 7 out of every 10 Mexicans over six years old have used the Internet, which means that around 84 million people are online; among Internet users, about 90% used it daily, and 9% mentioned connecting at least once a week.

The majority of Mexican Internet users connect to the network via Wi-Fi and mobile connections. However, 16% mentioned only connecting via mobile networks, against 12% who mentioned connecting only via Wi-Fi; mobile connections, such as 4G and 5G networks, are gaining ground in the digital sphere.

But it is not only people who connect to the Internet. The State of WWAN study, developed by Cradlepoint, a world leader in the deployment and development of wireless networks, indicates that 6 out of 10 organizations in Mexico already use 4G and/or 5G networks in their daily operations; 40% of them use them as the only means of connection for their branches.

Similarly, the report prepared by Cradlepoint mentions that half of the organizations that use 4G/5G networks in the country, do so to connect IoT devices, or for digital signage.

Mexican companies also use this technology to connect their fleets, and 9 out of 10 mentioned the need for failover solutions with multiple operators for their vehicles. 

Carlos Perea, Senior VP LATAM Cradlepoint, will analyze the network situation in his lecture Wireless connectivity as a powerful catalyst for growth and development of LATAM in the 7th America Digital Latin American Congress of Business & Technology 2022.

WWAN networks: The road to Industry 4.0 

The way of doing business, producing and selling goods, as well as interacting with customers and users is changing.

The so-called fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, focuses on robotics, digitalization, automation, the use of the Internet of Things and Big Data to make industrial processes more efficient; these technological advances have the potential to transform the industrial and economic life of the country.  

“Industry 4.0 is undergoing consolidation in Mexico, and more and more companies are migrating towards digital ecosystems and solutions. Companies in almost all sectors have had to change in the last two years, requiring fast, remote, secure and agile connectivity to enable the continuity of their operations in different areas, from vehicles to emerging locations and in IoT applications.”

Carlos Perea, Vice President for Latin America at Cradlepoint. 

Such connectivity can be achieved through the deployment of WWANs (Wireless Wide Area Networks), and Mexican companies are beginning to take advantage of it: Cradlepoint’s WWAN report notes that specifically in Mexico, the percentage of companies that have deployed or will deploy software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) in the next six months surveyed increased from 46% in 2020 to 67% in 2021.

This allows IT managers to forward traffic in an automated fashion over the most suitable WAN path (whether 5G/4G, DSL/cable, or other type of service) based on network conditions, traffic security, Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, and operating costs, resulting in faster and more secure connections.

Innovation in all sectors

Cradlepoint experts say that while cable and DSL connections will remain viable options for connecting, the use of wireless technology such as 5G and 4G will see 70% growth in the coming years, establishing itself as the standard for industrial operations.  

“The use of wireless technology in enterprise networks is driven by the growing need to connect sites, vehicles, IoT devices, and people to corporate networks. Cradlepoint offers enterprises the flexibility and agility needed to support both immediate and future technology changes. Enterprises need to build a technology ecosystem that is agile and secure in the face of eventualities. With mobile technology, our clients have wireless connectivity, agility and security, which are essential tools in today’s marketplace.”

Carlos Perea, Vice President for Latin America at Cradlepoint. 

Thus, this type of technology allows innovation in virtually all sectors of the country.

The near-zero latency and its greater data transmission capacity has led to 5G networks being implemented in different areas; some examples include retail, through digital shopping kiosks, public safety by connecting patrol cars, ambulances and fire trucks in real time, the health sector with the possibility of connecting mobile hospitals in emergencies, logistics activities, with the connection of fleets, and the manufacturing and transformation sectors, which use wireless technology to automate some stages of the production process.

Don’t miss Carlos Perea’s conference at the 5G,IOT & Telco Forum of the 7th America Digital Latin American Congress 2022. Buy your tickets here.