Overview:

Honduran Digital Republic ( https://www.diger.gob.hn/republica) leads the E-Government initiatives for the government of Honduras. It seeks to promote inclusion and social advancement through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with the aim of closing the digital divide, raising the quality of education, streamlining public services and developing the productive sectors. One of the most important steps has been the creation of the Results-Based Management Directorate (DIGER). With a direct line to the Presidency of the Republic, DIGER functions with independence in the administrative, technical, financial and budgetary aspects of the government’s digital agenda.

The Honduran Institute of Science and Technology (SENACIT) is tasked with incentivizing interest in education and research, promoting the culture of scientific research, and technological development in the country. It also supports applied research to find optimal solutions to the complex problems facing society. The focus for the institute centers around materials development, environmental technologies, applied electronics, biotechnology, and ICT research and development.   
CONATEL regulates services in the telecommunications sector, manages the radio spectrum and promotes the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Its mission is to promote fair competition, investment, guarantee quality of services, protect the rights of users and promote digital connectivity for the general population.

Honduras and 6GHz

The next World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) will take place in Dubai at the end of 2023. During WRC-23, countries will vote on necessary revisions involving topics such as radio regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum, and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits.

In August 2023, at the InterAmerican Telecommunications Commission (CITEL), the United States sought to build support for an Inter-American Proposal (IAP) for region-wide adoption of the “No Change” (NOC) position on the upper segment of the 6 GHz spectrum band (6.425 -7.125 GHz). Honduras did not attend CITEL and hence has not signed the “No Change” IAP. In July 2023, CONATEL issued a public consultation where it announced its intent to reverse the previous administration’s “No Change” position. Nonetheless, a formal decree changing the GoH position has not been issued.

At WRC-23, the Government of Honduras will vote at on whether to keep open the entire 6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band (5.925–7.125 GHz) for the next-generation unlicensed technologies, such as Wi-Fi. The hope is Honduras will vote to keep open the entire 6GHz spectrum and join the other leading economies in the region to increase the opportunity for all people of the Americas to have affordable access to the most leading-edge wireless technologies.

The next generation Wi-Fi 6E and 7 technologies are designed to utilize the full 6 GHz band. The full band is needed to support the multiple wide channels that enable high data throughput and ultra-low latency demands of advanced applications and devices.

 If the full 6 GHz band is not available in Honduras, then the consumers and enterprises will not have access to the same capabilities and benefits of next-generation Wi-Fi as other countries that have already opened the full band.

Wi-Fi delivers over 70 percent of data traffic to smartphone devices. Additional spectrum capacity is needed for Wi-Fi to continue being a key technology enabler for next-generation connectivity and applications such as Internet of Things (IoT), advanced manufacturing, telemedicine, and expanding broadband access to underserved communities.

Honduras and 5G

The Honduran National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) is the regulatory agency which will guide the implementation of 5G in Honduras. Currently, CONATEL has not published its timeline for the transition to 5G.

Although non-U.S. competitors are generally leading the 5G agenda in Honduras, 5G implementation is not expected over the next three years. The Honduran government is very willing to connect with U.S. companies to learn more about their solutions and, most importantly, connect with those that can provide robust cybersecurity solutions over any IT infrastructure currently being implemented.

Table: National Trade Data

Units: USD millions

Source: Central American Economic Integration Secretariat – SIECA

Leading Sub-Sectors

Cloud services, analytics, forecasting, logistics and development software, computers, and peripherals, as well as advanced telecommunications and digital security products and services are at the top of the list of needs for both the private and public sectors in Honduras.

Opportunities

An increasingly digital economy, driven by non-physical outputs (e.g., service delivery, software, and computing), will be the challenge for both the Honduran government and private sector going forward. While the percentage of bilingual skilled labor is among the highest in the region, the lack of transparency and poor ease of doing business deters any significant investment in the ICT Sector. The energy grid is also vastly unreliable and expensive compared to other countries in the region. Despite these challenges, there are many clear opportunities and a willingness to overcome the obstacles on all sides of the Honduran market.

Smart Cities are at the forefront of the government’s long term ICT goals. The city of San Pedro Sula and the Port of Cortes are leading the charge with ambitious programs aimed at the modernization of urban infrastructure, digital connectivity, and community engagement.

Integration of Smart City Objectives:

• Model School Construction and Educational Technologies 
• Agricultural Optimization Technology
• Entrepreneur Development Programs and Digital Directory
• Digital Municipal Services (Digital Application Development)
• Basic Logistics Infrastructure
• Social Housing Development
• Municipal Television Channel
• City Monitoring Systems
• Water Management & Quality Monitoring
• Sustainable Solar Energy Generation Program

Resources

• The Honduran Institute of Science and Technology
• The Honduran National Telecommunications Commission
• San Pedro Sula Smart City Program
• Puerto Cortes Digital Transparency Portal,

Trade Events:

ISC West : April 9-12, 2024, Las Vegas, NV. 

Global Security Expo: September 23-25, 2024, Orlando, FL.

U.S. Commercial Service Contact:

Name:           Jose Villeda

Position:         Commercial Specialist

Email:             Jose.Villeda@trade.gov