|
|
Internet Diffusion
Because the Internet only really reached Peru in the mid-1990s, all discussions of Internet
diffusion must keep in mind the extremely short time frame in question. Given the short
life of Peruvian Internet access, there has been substantial progress in the growth of
Internet hosts and also PC ownership, as well as in the decreasing cost of Internet access.
Much of the success of the Internet in Peru can be traced to the Peruvian Scientific Network,
due to their innovative plans.
Internet Users
Peruvian Internet use has taken off in the last few years. In early 1998, there were
an estimated 208,200 Internet users in Peru. Over the next eight quarters, total users
increased every quarter between 4% and 18%. By the first quarter of 2000, there were an
estimated 520,000 users, an increase of 250% over only two years.(20)
Based on this estimate for early 2000, approximately 1.8% of Peruvians are online.
Brief Overview of Peruvian Internet Development
In a 1999 report, Ramiro Montealegre examined the development of information technology
development in less-developed countries, including Peru, with an emphasis on the role
of institutions in such development. He compiled a timeline, focused on the Internet,
which broke Peruvian development down into five phases:
- Phase 1: Searching for a Solution (1990-1991) - In 1991, Peruvian
universities and NGOs formed the Peruvian Scientific Network (RCP), a nonprofit
institution charged with investigating the potential for a national academic
and research network.
- Phase 2: Building Competence (1991-1992) - RCP began with a grant for
basic equipment from the UN Development Programme, and three telephone lines
and an X.25 connection from a Peruvian university. Private institutions did
not have much faith in RCP's chances of success, and the government refused
to be involved in a consortium that was not government-controlled. ENTEL, the
state's postal, telegraph and telephone (PTT) agency, refused to cooperate
with RCP due to fears of competition with ENTEL's X.25 service. UNDP brought
in two American engineers to set up the network, and the engineers ultimately
stayed for three months to completely train the Peruvian engineers.
- Phase 3: Expanding the Solution (1993-1994) - 1n 1993, the Organization
of American States financed a satellite antenna for Peru, and by February 1994,
the Peruvian network was upgraded from WCP to TCP/IP. Also in 1994, RCP began
operating as an Internet network via a PanAmSat connection to an earth station
in Florida, with the sponsorship of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
- Phase 4: Enabling Changes (1994-1995) - In early 1994, RCP had 120 associated
institutions and financial support from the OAS and NSF. RCP set about raising its
profile by training institution personnel and holding conferences, developing tools
and manuals and creating directories of Internet resources. By the end of 1994,
RCP had 420 member institutions, including not only universities and research
institutions, but also NGOs, civil associations and even government agencies.
- Phase 5: Evolving Strategy (1995-1996) - In 1995, RCP began development of a national
backbone, which was to consist of consortia in each of the 24 regions of Peru, each
with a dedicated 64Kbps line to Lima. This configuration was intended to allow
anyone access to the resources in Lima, increase institutional cooperation, decrease
communication costs for research institutions, and offer technology training. Backbone
development was hindered by a poor telephone network and a lack of capital, but it
did progress. RCP also initiated its cabinas publicas program, which is described
below. By 1996, RCP had 2,149 members, 73 percent of which were businesses and individuals,
and the remaining 27 percent were nonprofit institutions.(21)
Internet Hosts
In addition, the number of internet hosts grew dramatically in the late 1990s.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, the number grew from 171 to
4,794 over those five years, as noted below:
| 1994 |
|
171 hosts |
| 1995 |
|
813 hosts |
| 1996 |
|
5,192 hosts |
| 1997 |
|
3,415 hosts |
| 1998 |
|
4,794 hosts |
PC Diffusion
Concurrent with the rise in Internet use and hosts was a rise in the number of PCs used
in Peru. The ITU reports the following figures from 1995 to 1998:
| 1995 |
|
150,000 PCs |
| 1996 |
|
200,000 PCs |
| 1997 |
|
300,000 PCs |
| 1998 |
|
450,000 PCs |
Although PC sales figures were not provided, NUA notes that second quarter PC sales
experienced a 13% drop from 1998 to 1999.(22)
Cost of Access
The cost of Internet access has also dropped dramatically. In July 1996, Peruvians paid an average of nearly $40 per month for Internet access. By late 1999, that figure had dropped to $13.73 per month. By comparison, monthly Internet access fees in Latin America tend to be much higher:
| Brazil |
|
$26.96 per month |
| Mexico |
|
$26.10 per month |
| Argentina |
|
$41.90 per month |
| Colombia |
|
$36.56 per month |
| Chile |
|
$40.27 per month(23) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
According to the Ministry of Transportation, Communication, Housing and Construction,
there are 58 ISPs in Peru as of 2000(24). The largest ISP in Peru is
the Peruvian Scientific Network, known by its Spanish initials as RCP. RCP began as a
consortium of 43 non-governmental academic and scientific organizations with the sole
purpose of providing information and communication technologies to the underserved in
Peru. It proceeded to build its own Internet backbone throughout the country, providing
access to rural areas as the backbone was activated in the various regions of Peru. RCP
has become well-known for its cabinas publicas, or Internet cafés which
provide unfettered access to the Internet in different configurations. One configuration
is similar to the telework centers currently spreading across the United States, in which
a bank of computers are connected to the Internet, as well as all necessary peripherals,
such as scanners and printers. In addition, RCP provides training and staff to ensure that
the users can take full advantage of the hardware. At the other end of the RCP spectrum,
they have installed monocabinas, which are essentially single computers with Internet
connections, often in rural areas such as village centers, that are analogous to telephone
booths. For a fee of $15 per month (including telephone charges), Peruvians can access
the Internet for 15 hours. RCP claims a 56% share of the Peruvian ISP market at present,
with most of the remainder divided between Telefónica and IBM. In addition, by
virtue of being the first Peruvian ISP, RCP administers the .pe top-level domain. RCP's
success in Peru has led to international expansion plans, as it moves to replicate
its model in other Latin American countries, beginning with Uruguay in 1999.(25)
Telefónica of Peru also commands a large share of the ISP market with its UNIRED service, and also provides a service called Infovia, which connects a series of information centers that end-users can access for the cost of a local call. Other ISPs use this service to carry information and data. However, Telefónica does not disclose market data, so it is difficult to tell how much of the market for such services it holds.
| Major Internet Service Providers(26) |
| APLITEC, Aplicaciones Tecnologicas S.A. |
http://www.aplitec.com.pe. |
| AMERINET |
http://www.amerinet.com.pe |
provides internet access, mail fax, electronic mail, housing, hosting, web page building
video conference and consulting services to corporate and non-corporate sectors |
| COSAPI DATA |
http://www.cosapidata.com.pe |
| DIGITAL DATA MAIL |
http://www.ddm.com.pe |
| GOALSNET |
http://www.goalsnet.com.pe
http://www.ourperu.to |
| LIMATEL S.A. |
http://www.limatel.com.pe |
provides internet access, housing, electronic mail, enhanced fax, mail fax, electronic
data interchange, internet business dial, and consulting mainly to corporate sector |
| PERUSAT |
http://www.perusat.net.pe |
offers internet services to individual and corporate users |
| RED CIENTIFICA PERUANA - RCP INTERNET PERU |
http://www.rcp.net.pe |
provides internet access to many government organizations, educational institutions
and home users. RCP is developing an online shopping mall and has plans to expand
its business to other regional markets |
| TELEFONICA DEL PERU / TELEFONICA SERVICIOS INTERNET |
http://www.telefonica.com.pe |
provides internet access, housing, web page building and consulting to corporate clients |
| TELEMATIC NET |
http://www.telematic.edu.pe |
provides internet access, housing, web page building, hosting, intranet development,
consulting, and information services such as cyber-employment, cyber-mall and
cyber-economics |
| TELEREP |
E-mail: lar@telerep.com.pe |
provides telecommunications services such as internet access, as well as equipment
and accessories |
|
