Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: Wisconsin companies can help with the ambitious schedule for implementing the new technology.

Chile will lead the way for telecommunications in Latin America, as President Sebastián Piñera has announced public bidding for the construction of the national 5G network, which will receive investment of between $2.65 billion and $3 billion over the next five years.

The 5G network will benefit over 16 million people, and it will be 100 times faster and more powerful than the current technology.

Essential sectors will be prioritized, and high up the government’s agenda is the use of 5G in the medical sector. The winners of Chile’s 5G bid will be required to connect Chile’s hospitals in the first phase of rollout, and the use of 5G would help increase the use of telemedicine.

Another sector that stands to benefit from 5G is the transportation sector, especially in the areas of traffic management equipment to help mitigate congestion. 5G will also accelerate Chile's push into promoting its smart cities initiatives, as this will allow greater connectivity spectrum-wide. Additionally, the Campus 5G project will allow for further research of 5G networks.

Chile expects to be the first in Latin America to award 5G licenses and to roll it out; current predictions have Chile 5G-ready by March 2022.