LIVE FROM MOBILE 360 LATIN AMERICA: The mobile industry is well positioned to drive digital inclusion in Latin America, providing “a benefit that is present in every moment in a users’ life,” proclaimed Rodrigo Abreu, president and CEO of TIM Brasil.

“The industry is prepared to help the digital inclusion process. We have done a lot, there is still a lot to do, but we need the conditions to allow this,” he observed.

Continuing what has become a major theme at today’s event – the need for a regulatory environment which supports innovation – the boss of Brazil’s second largest operator said that having the right policy environment is “critical” to support digital inclusion.

One issue he highlighted was the need to maintain an environment which supports investment in infrastructure, “be it tax related or in terms of the bureaucracy and rules we have to follow”.

While the network is key to supporting digital inclusion, the emergence of a new breed of competitors from a range of industry sectors is challenging operators, which could impact the economic sustainability of network investments.

“It’s important that we acknowledge the importance of infrastructure,” he said.

And the other requirement he called for was regulatory stability, “so we do not have any surprises”.

While much of the focus at the event is on Latin America’s fast-growing mobile money ecosystem, Abreu also highlighted another area that shows potential: “A new opportunity that we have not really dealt with is the possibility of having massive investments in developing e-government services on mobile,” he said.