📋 Tender Overview
According to the OSIPTEL survey, internet connectivity in rural homes increased from 41.5% in 2019 to 80.1% in 2023. During 2023, more than 9.6 million households across the country were connected to either fixed or mobile internet. The Residential Survey of Telecommunications Services (Erestel), conducted by the Private Investment Supervisory Agency in Telecommunications (OSIPTEL), revealed that, at the end of 2023, 91.9% (9,685,951) of Peruvian households had access to fixed or mobile internet, 15.7 percentage points more than the results of 2019, reflecting continued growth in internet access, consolidating the role of telecommunications in the daily lives of citizens and its positive impact on the development of the country.
Although there was growth in connections in all geographic areas, the most notable was in rural areas, where four out of five households accessed this service, evidencing significant progress in digital inclusion. Thus, in 2023, 80.1% of rural households accessed fixed or mobile internet, 38.6 percentage points more than in 2019. Meanwhile, internet access in households in Metropolitan Lima rose from 92.4% in 2019 to 97.9% in 2023; while in the rest of the urban area it increased from 79.5% to 92.0%.
Digital inclusion in the most vulnerable sectors
When analyzed by socioeconomic variable, the D/E sector, with lower income, registered a significant growth after going from 64.5% in 2019 to 86.9% of connected families in 2023, which demonstrates an improvement in digital inclusion for the most vulnerable sectors of the population. Meanwhile, in sectors A/B and C, internet access reached 98.9% and 96.8% of households, respectively.
By age group, the most significant increase in connections occurred in families where the head of household is a person aged 51 or older, with progress from 67.7% in 2019 to 86.6% in 2023. Internet penetration also increased in groups where the head of household is aged 18 to 29 (95.2%), 30 to 35 (95.5%), 36 to 45 (95.8%), and 46 to 50 (94.0%).
These results highlight a continuous advance in the adoption of technology, even in older age groups, traditionally with less access to telecommunications, said the director of Regulatory Policies and Competition at OSIPTEL, Marco Vilchez.
Regarding gender, there was greater progress in households with a man as head of household, going from 76.1% to 92.2%, from 2019 to 2023. In households with a female leader, the growth was from 76.4% to 91.3%. These figures reflect a more equitable advance in household connectivity.
Sustained increases in access to fixed and mobile internet
According to the type of connection, sustained increases in access to both fixed and mobile internet continue to be recorded. In 2023, 90.7% of households had mobile internet and 45.8% had fixed internet. These results exceed what was achieved 5 years ago, when only 74.2% and 29.0% had mobile and fixed connections, respectively.
In rural areas, the most notable jump was in fixed internet, which went from 8% in 2019 to 13.5% in 2023. Mobile internet reached 79.1% of rural households. This increase in fixed internet in rural areas reflects an effort to reduce the connectivity gap in these areas, where traditionally the penetration of this service has been limited, said the OSIPTEL representative.
The rest of the urban area also achieved significant growth after achieving 38.4% of fixed internet connections and 90.4% of mobile internet in homes.
It should be noted that Erestel is the only survey dedicated to the access and use of public telecommunications services in Peru. It was applied in homes throughout Peru, both in urban and rural areas, between November 8 and December 26, 2023. Interested parties can access the full study through the following link: https://sociedadtelecom.pe/2024/10/14/encuesta-residencial-de-servicios-de-telecomunicaciones-erestel-2023/.
