Internet Speed: 6.7 Mbps downlink: 1.8 Mbps uplink

Population: 43.85 million

Main Types of Access to the Internet: Dial-up, ADSL, Wireless

Internet Censorship:

According to Akamai’s Q3 2015 rankings, the average downlink Internet speed in Argentina is 6.7 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 1.8 Mbps.

Population & Internet Availability

The current population of Argentina is approximately 43.85 million. Over 47% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Types of Access to the Internet

Argentinian residents can access the following types of Internet services:

– Dial-up
– ADSL Internet
– Wireless Internet

Internet Access – Dial-up

Although dial-up is rapidly becoming obsolete as broadband connections take over the internet market, it remains quite popular in smaller cities or in the countryside, where subscribers are stuck with a single provider; due to the monopoly ensured, there is also no intent to upgrade the infrastructure so as to transition from narrowband to broadband technology. The good news is that the number of dial-up users has decreased drastically since 2005 in favour of broadband internet access in bigger cities, and in time this might become reality in the abovementioned regions, too.

Internet Access – ADSL Internet

ADSL services were introduced to the Argentinian market in early 1998 by Telefonica de Espana, a Spanish company. Nowadays, this provider holds a monopoly over the ADSL infrastructure, along with Telecom Argentina. It should also be noted that this service is one of the most expensive in the country: for a service comprising speeds of 1 Mbps download and 256 Kbps upload, customers pay $20 per month. For 20 Mbps download and 512 Kbps upload, prices go up to as much as $77 per month.

Internet Access – Wireless Internet

Wireless networks have experienced a marked increase in popularity during the 2008-2009 period, totaling over 1.5 million as of March 2011. Such services are usually desired by customers located in remote areas or smaller cities where there is little to no broadband coverage. On the same note, they are also considerably faster than dial-up internet, and relatively cheaper than traditional broadband connections due to the fact that there are more ISPs that provide wireless internet.

Internet Censorship in Argentina

Argentinian internet users can access the internet freely. There is no evidence of governmental control of Internet access, nor credible reports that the government monitors user activity without solid legal basis. Content is being regulated in the same manner as other American and European countries, with a strong emphasis on combating such regular issues as defamation, hate speech, copyright infringement, as well as privacy issues. However, unlike other South American countries where copyright infringement is allowed to proliferate due to lack of proper regulations, Argentina has strengthened intellectual property rights protections by drafting, updating and ratifying international agreements such as the WIPO Copyright Treaty, along with many others. However, customers who seek to start up websites that might be deemed “controversial” in most of Europe will find that Argentina is a great place for such ventures, due to the fact that the Argentinian constitution provides internet content with extended protections for freedom of expression.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 11 colocation datacenters established in Argentina. Most datacenters are established in Buenos Aires (9), while the rest are concentrated in Cordoba (2).

In Buenos Aires, prominent colocation providers consist of the following:

– G2K Datacenter
– Nxnet Solutions
– Neolo.com DC
– BAEHOST
– Telecom Argentina Datacenter

One of the biggest colocation providers located in Buenos Aires is G2K Datacenter. This provider operates a state-of-the-art facility with capacity for more than 6,000 servers and critical services. The datacenter facility specialises in providing the following colocation services:

– rental of suites, cages, rack cabinets, footprints, and diverse enclosures

Amenities that can be found at this location include the following:

– N+1 UPS power equipment
– N+1 cooling equipment
– diverse power feeds
– multiple fiber entries into the building
– carrier neutrality, with on-site access to a wide array of telecoms and carrier hotels located in close proximity, including but not limited to Telefonica and Telecom Argentina.

Another popular company that provides colocation services is Nxnet. This provider owns and operates a datacenter facility located minutes away from central Buenos Aires. Colocation services provided at this location include rental of suites, cages, rack cabinets, in addition to diverse enclosures. The facility is not carrier neutral.

Colocation Industry in Argentina

Argentina is one of the least performing colocation markets in Latin America, preponderantly due to lack of investments in this sector generated by low demand for colocation services. Not only does this country lack datacenter facilities, but the few ones that already exist do not have significant supply, and are therefore unable to meet the needs of potential customers. This situation deters both local and international customers from colocating in Argentina in favour of more developed markets such as Brazil. However, Argentina is not an isolated case. According to various sources, Latin America is the least developed and thus least sought-after colocation market in the world. In 2016, this region managed to accrue only $587 million in colocation revenue, in direct comparison with North America, where the total revenue amounted to an impressive $14 billion.

We may outline the following advantages for colocation:

– temperate climate, with mild summers and relatively cold winters
– developed technical infrastructure in Buenos Aires
– relatively low risk for natural disasters
– low demand for colocation services means that customers can benefit from the high vacancy rates; however, there is not much supply and services offered are said to be mediocre at best

Argentina is not regarded as a prominent web hosting market, nor do international customers seem to opt for hosting providers established locally save for those trying to specifically reach an Argentinian audience for subjective reasons. Due to its close proximity to Brazil and even the United States, most customers choose these two countries because the actual hosting services are cheaper and much more reliable. All of the companies that we reviewed provide core services, including Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Hosting, in addition to other services meant to boost your website’s security. However, because the market is somewhat underdeveloped, it would be advisable to explore other hosting opportunities in other countries.