Construction of +Colonia, a smart city development in Uruguay's Colonia del Sacramento, Río de la Plata region, is about to start.
Environmental authority Dinacea issued the permit in June.
The first stage is focused on the US$500mn Genesis District, planned to be finished by 2025.
Uruguay’s government transition is going smoothly and no sharp policy shifts are expected, which bodes well for the IT market.
“There shouldn’t be any abrupt change [for the country’s ICT market]. And neither for Uruguay. Most programs in place are state initiatives and continuity is usually respected,” Nicolás Jodal, CEO of Uruguayan IT multinational GeneXus told BNamericas.
Uruguay will benefit from improved quality and access to electronic services from the public sector as a result of a US$12 million loan approved this month from the World Bank. The program to improve e-government services for citizens and businesses will optimize online services throughout the public administration to offer faster, user-friendly and accessible services to the population.
Currently, nearly 90 percent of the population has home or cellphone access to the internet. Of the central government’s more than 1,400 administrative procedures, approximately 600 can be started online and 400 can be carried out entirely online. This reflects Uruguay’s efforts during the last decade to reduce the digital gap and improve service delivery using information and communication technologies. Nearly all schools in the country also now have internet access and exporters can carry out procedures via a single foreign trade window.