In cities such as Querétaro and Monterrey, Mexico is presenting telecoms players with a rising opportunity for provision of robust connectivity. These locations have been establishing themselves as hotspots for tech growth, with carriers, cloud and data centre providers both large and small seeking to build a footprint there, alongside a rapidly expanding fintech market.
The country can also act as a gateway into other markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region in which closing the digital gap could create more than 15 million direct jobs and boost regional GDP by 7.7%, according to estimates from the Inter-American Development Bank.
On top of this, Covid-19 has highlighted the urgency of connectivity in regions such as Latin America for reducing existing inequalities and enabling sustainable economic recovery. Mexico therefore clearly presents a big opportunity for carriers and tech players, but one that requires new options if the country is not to fall short of connectivity demands over the next decade.
New fibre ring
This is a need that infrastructure provider Neutral Networks has recognised. In Querétaro, the company has just announced that it will deploy a new fibre ring measuring more than 40 miles by the end of this year, adding to the 56 miles of fibre it already has in Querétaro’s metropolitan area and its 1,864 miles throughout Mexico.
As a fully carrier-neutral option, this represents a potentially highly attractive access point for international carriers and hyperscalers into the Mexican market, with the promise of bringing in investment and aiding the region’s digital growth.
“We have 100% neutral infrastructure, and we are ready to offer a real alternative to the market with a new network that meets the highest quality standards required by hyperscalers and international carriers,” says Gabriel Navarro, CEO of Neutral Networks parent company Even Group.
Querétaro offers a significant opportunity as one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities, located in the centre of the country near Mexico City, and has been pinpointed by commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield as a secondary market with a sizeable data centre development pipeline and key location for future expansion.
On top of broadening its footprint there, Neutral Networks plans to connect Querétaro and Monterrey with the US through a long-distance network it is currently building, the first phase of which is expected to be ready by December. The link-up is aimed at offering carrier and service provider customers a strong connection back to the US to help them capitalise further on the growth opportunity, while creating a highly secure option for routing traffic.
“We continue to grow our network of more than 1,864 miles, and we have a very aggressive investment plan to connect the Quer says Navarro.
Wide footprint
Neutral Networks already offers a comprehensive footprint throughout Mexico to help customers capitalise on the country’s potential, covering seven of nine telecoms regions in the nation with its fibre network. The company also offers a range of technology options to cater to an array of different needs and capacity requirements, including leasing of dark fibre, lit fibre, internet and long-haul services, along with having 300 base transceiver stations, and Ethernet and wavelength services.
On top of that, Neutral Networks has extensive expertise developed from many years in the industry, with more than two decades of experience in deploying and operating dark fibre. As a company that seeks to close the gap between infrastructure and consumer demand, its aim is to help its domestic market become one of the world’s best-connected countries.
Given its central focus on Mexico, international carriers and hyperscalers that link up with Neutral Networks stand to gain a non-competing partner with long-term local expertise, presenting a gateway into a key growing market for technology, data centres and the cloud.
