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Le prix des perturbations: Évaluation de l’impact économique des coupures d’Internet au Sénégal en 2023

Anirudh Tagat, Skyler Sallick

Internews (2024), 25 pp.

"Ce rapport a constaté une baisse vertigineuse de 1,3 point de pourcentage du produit intérieur brut (PIB) global associé aux coupures d’Internet en juin 2023. Cela se traduit grosso modto par une perte de 76,8 millions de dollars américains (46,86 milliards de francs CFA). Cette perte a princ ... ipalement affecté le secteur des services, qui a subi à lui seul une perte de 5,26 millions de dollars américains (3,23 milliards de francs CFA). En outre, les marchés financiers ont subi une grande partie des impacts des interruptions, les résultats suggérant que près de 1,43 milliard de dollars américains (871,5 milliards de francs CFA) ont été perdus en capitalisation boursière pendant la période des coupures d’Internet, ce qui représente près de 12 % de la valeur totale de la BRVM à l’époque. La baisse la plus significative, cependant, semble être tirée par le secteur des exportations, avec une perte substantielle de la valeur des échanges et des volumes qui semblent liés aux coupures d’Internet. Bien que nous ne puissions pas établir de causalité directe, l’analyse des indicateurs économiques complets suggère que la valeur globale des exportations a diminué de 0,6 point de pourcentage, ce qui se traduit par une perte substantielle de près de 2,46 milliards de dollars américains (1,505 trillion de francs CFA). En outre, le volume des exportations du port de Dakar a diminué de 3,93 points de pourcentage, ce qui a entraîné une perte d’environ 42 350 tonnes de marchandises exportées à la suite des coupures d’Internet. Ces résultats suggèrent que les impacts des interruptions ont une grande portée et qu’ils affectent certains secteurs plus que d’autres. Les résultats de l’enquête révèlent que l’interruption des paiements représente un défi important pour une économie confrontée à une coupure d’Internet. Les estimations de l’impact économique des coupures d’Internet sur le secteur financier confirment cet argument. Il est essentiel que la communauté internationale comprenne mieux ces conséquences économiques afin de faire pression sur les gouvernements pour qu’ils cessent d’avoir recours aux coupures d’Internet et qu’ils mettent en place des dispositifs visant à protéger les économies locales contre d’éventuelles perturbations à l’avenir." (Résumè, page 3) more

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Connected Resilience: Gendered Experiences of Meaningful Connectivity through a Global Pandemic

Ingrid Brudvig, Sonia Jorge, Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (2024), 57 pp.

"Looking at patterns between those with meaningful connectivity — defined as having daily internet use with 4G-like speeds, owning a smartphone, and an unlimited access point at home, work, or a place of study — and those with just basic or no internet access at all, we saw key distinctions betw ... een women based on geography and education in our study sample which impacted their experiences of the internet. Across our six survey countries [Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda], women with a tertiary education were nearly twice as likely to be meaningfully connected compared to their peers with less education. Women living in rural areas were three times more likely to lack internet access than their urban-dwelling peers, while women living in cities were over 50% more likely to have meaningful connectivity. Meaningful connectivity enabled women around the world to learn, earn, access government and financial services, and connect with family and communities, thereby also saving essential time and money in transport costs. Women’s educational level and having meaningful connectivity are the strongest predictors of finding information online or participating in the digital economy. Women int erviewed in underserved localities — such as remote villaes in India and impoverished urban settlements in Nigeria — reported restricted digital access due to: lack of infrastructure (such as mobile towers); high cost of devices and data services; income-generating activities and unpaid care work leave little to no time available to access connectivity or digital skills educational initiatives; dependency on men in their family to use devices [...] We propose four tiers of achievable solutions — and call attention to policymakers, investors, and the ICT sector at large to fast-track meaningful connectivity and inclusive digital development for all: 1. Deep investments that use substantial resourcing to make profound changes in a specific policy area or for a specific community. Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs) represent a key mechanism across the majority world for deep investment strategies. When well executed, they provide clear interventions with measurable changes in the lives of affected communities. 2. Grand visions that combine years of effort with substantial funding resources to revolutionize the status quo. National broadband plans and other key strategy documents — when appropriately supported and resourced through implementation stages — represent a core example of grand visions within this space. 3. Easy wins that are comparatively discreet and specific changes that can still create tangible value at their scale. Gender data — collecting it, creating it, analyzing it, and using it — is a critical component to several easy wins that have been implemented in recent years. Policymakers can start from this level of research and measurement to make clear steps in the right direction. 4. Scalable systems that represent large, programmatic change in the pre-existing ways of working. Multistakeholder approaches and gender targets can provide the foundation for long-term, ongoing processes that scale progress towards closing the gender digital divide. By using policy and regulation to create mechanisms and procedures that consider digital inclusion, policymakers can build habits and routines that gradually and consistently change the course of history." (Executive summary, pages 2-4) more

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Impact Assessment: Rural Household Devices Project Program of the Uganda Communications Universal Service Access Fund (UCUSAF)

Evelyn Namara, Ingrid Brudvig

Alexandria, VA; Kampala: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership;Uganda Communications Commission (2024), 46 pp.

"The impact assessment underscores the commendable achievements of the Rural Household Devices project. By December 2023, the initiative had successfully reached 54 districts and impacted 10,706 households. The outcomes are multifaceted and transformative, with a substantial number of beneficiaries ... more

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The price of the world in your pocket: A price only some can afford. 2024 Device Pricing

Sonia Jorge, Onica Makwakwa

Alexandria, VA: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (2024), 9 pp.

"The median price for a smartphone globally is US$92.59. The lowest regional median price is in Africa, at $60.23, while the highest is $101.88 in the Americas. The median global affordability (defined as price as a percentage of average monthly income) for a smartphone is 11%. Europe has the greate ... st regional affordability, at 4.5%, while Africa has the least, at 41%. The median smartphone price among low-income countries is $36.62, rising in line between price and income groups, with the median smartphone price among high-income countries at $121.49. Feature phones offer a lower price point. The global median price for an internet-capable feature phone is $25, at 5.53% affordability. This data is not a measure of all prices in all contexts. For example, we know that second-hand markets are thriving and typically offer lower prices than buying new devices. We also know that many retailers not affiliated with a mobile network will sell unlocked devices that are able to function on multiple networks. However, given the widespread and consistent nature of operators selling phones through their website, this data assumes that the prices set by operators are not without context: they will be responsive to the competitive pressures of other retailers in the markets in which they operate. While these prices are not definitive on what the cost of a smartphone is in each country, they are certainly indicative of the range of prices that customers have in several parts of the world. [...] Across the three years of data collection, the median device price did not vary more than $15 between each period. At the same time, device affordability grew, with the highest median price – $92.59 in 2024 – corresponding to the greatest affordability at 10.99%. This is because average incomes rose globally across these four years, meaning that while the price of the device might be similar as before, it represents, on average, a smaller fraction of how much someone has to spend from their income to afford it. This trend, if it remains, will indicate continued progress towards greater affordability for all. However, the slow pace of progress means that devices will remain unaffordable for millions without responsive action from policymakers and industry." (Pages 3-5) more

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Measuring Digital Development. Facts and Figures: Focus on Small Island Developing States
Quick Overview

Geneva: ITU (2024), v, 33 pp.

"In this special edition of ITU's Facts and Figures series, we explore the impressive progress and ongoing obstacles SIDS encounter amid the digital revolution. On the occasion of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), our goal is to provide stakeholders with ... more

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Telecommunication networks and infrastructure resilience assessment in Haiti

Gregory Domond

Geneva: ITU (2024), xii, 96 pp.

[.] the report examines three pivotal areas of assessment. First, there was an evaluation of the damage to Haiti’s networks and infrastructure after the 2021 earthquake, along with the restoration of telecommunication services. Second, the assessment focused on Haiti’s country-level resilience, ... more

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Challenges and opportunities for using universal service funds to bridge the digital divide

Geneva: ITU (2024), 10 pp.

"This document presents the joint interim (annual) deliverable for Question 4/1, “Economic aspects of national telecommunications/ICTs”, and Question 5/1, “Telecommunications/ICTs for rural and remote areas”. It concerns the challenges and opportunities associated with using universal servic ... more

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Conectividad en Amazonía: Recomendaciones para combatir la brecha digital

Paloma Lara-Castro (coord.)

Derechos Digitales (2024), 17 pp.

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The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024

Matthew Shanahan, Kalvin Bahia

London: GSMA (2024), 91 pp.

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Children's digital experiences in Indian slums: Technologies, identities, and Jugaad

Kiran Vinod Bhatia

Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press (2024), 175 pp.

"This book departs from the universalising and rescue narratives of poor children and technologies. It offers complex stories on how children's social identities (gender, caste, and religion), cultural norms, and personal aspirations influence their digital experiences. How do children challenge, ci ... more

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Digital Literacy and Inclusion: Stories, Platforms, Communities

Danica Radovanovic (ed.)

Cham: Springer (2024), xxi, 218 pp.

"More than a dozen experts provide deep insights in stories, research reports, and geographical studies of digital literacy and inclusion models, all from a multi-disciplinary perspective that includes engineering, social sciences, and education. Digital Literacy and Inclusion also highlights a show ... more

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The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023
Top Insights

Nadia Jeffrie et al.

London: GSMA;Ipsos (2023), 70 pp.

"1. More women in low- and middle-income countries are using mobile internet than ever before, but their rate of adoption has slowed for the second year in a row. While 61% of women across these countries now use mobile internet, only 60 million women started using mobile internet in 2022 compared t ... o 75 million in 2021. Men’s rate of adoption also slowed in 2022, highlighting that progress on digital inclusion for all has stalled across low- and middle-income countries. 2. The gender gap in mobile internet remains relatively unchanged – women in low- and middle-income countries are 19% less likely than men to use it, which translates into around 310 million fewer women than men. This year there have been no significant changes in the mobile internet gender gap in any region, including South Asia where there have been notable changes in the past few years. 3. To close the mobile internet gender gap by 2030 across low- and middle-income countries, an estimated 810 million women need to adopt it. This is equivalent to 100 million women a year, on average. However, if the gender gap remains unchanged, forecasts suggest that only 360 million more women will adopt mobile internet by 2030. 4. There are 900 million women in low- and middle-income countries who are still not using mobile internet, almost two-thirds of whom live in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Women in these regions remain the least likely to use mobile internet compared to men, with gender gaps of 41% and 36%, respectively. 5. Women were more likely than men to report they had reduced their use of mobile internet in 2022, especially those who live in rural areas and are less educated. Across all survey countries, women also tend to use their mobile phones for a narrower range of activities and use mobile internet less regularly than men. 6. The gender gap in smartphone ownership has stalled for the second year in a row, and women in low- and middle-income countries are 17% less likely than men to own a smartphone. This translates into around 250 million fewer women than men. While more men and women own a smartphone than ever before, the rate of adoption for both has slowed down slightly. 55% of women now own a smartphone compared to 67% of men. However, once women own a smartphone, their awareness and use of mobile internet is almost on par with men." (Key findings) more

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Why Addressing Digital Inequality Should be a Priority

Ahmed Imran

Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC), volume 89, issue 3, e12255 (2023), 12 pp.

"This article addresses the multifaceted and far-reaching implications of digital inequality (DI), drawing upon emerging trends and examples. The aim is to sensitize policymakers, practitioners, and academics to issues surrounding DI and foster a common and deeper understanding among relevant stakeh ... more

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Impacts of Information and Communication Technologies on the SDGs: The Case of Mayu Telecomunicaciones in Rural Areas of Peru

Ignacio Prieto-Egido, Teresa Sanchez-Chaparro, Julia Urquijo-Reguera

Information Technology for Development, volume 29, issue 1 (2023), pp. 103-127

"Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are considered a cross-cutting tool that contributes to meeting the global challenges set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, in many countries, there is still a significant connectivity gap between cities and rural areas. Using ... more

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Londa Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa Report 2022

Lagos: Paradigm Initiative (2023), 291 pp.

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Hello Indigenous: A Blueprint on the Preservation of Endangered Indigenous Languages Through Digital Inclusion;Hello indígenas: Um modelo de projeto de inclusão digital para preservação de línguas indígenas ameaçadas

Jaguariúna: Motorola Mobility (2023), 33 pp.

"This document is a detailed report of best practices for the digital inclusion of speakers of endangered Indigenous languages. The proclamation of the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), as per Resolution A/RES/74/135 from United Nation ... more

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Monitoring Digital Education Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean

Alejandro Vera, Axel Rivas

Buenos Aires: UNESCO IIEP Office for Latin America (2023), 8 pp.

"This article offers a brief introduction to digital education policy monitoring. The information is organized into four major interrelated analytical axes: digital inclusion policies; digital policies to enhance the quality of learning; policies focused on students learning digital skills; and poli ... more

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Understanding the Gender Digital Divide in Nigeria: Learning Brief

USAID;Banyan Global (2023), 7 pp.

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How-To: Bring More Women Online. A Practical Guide for Internet Service Providers and Technology Companies

USAID (2023), 67 pp.

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Colombia: Tecnología, esfera pública y periodismo

Gabriel Ernesto Levy Bravo, María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo, María Paula Ángel Benavides

London: Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC);Observacom;Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) (2023), 21 pp.

"Si bien las cifras de acceso y uso de las TIC han mejorado progresivamente, están lejos de ser óptimas. Lo mismo pasa con las relacionadas con la conectividad. De cualquier forma, lo más preocupante en ambos casos es la diferencia que existe entre las cabeceras municipales y los centros poblados ... y las zonas rurales. La brecha es grande y parece estar lejos de cerrarse, a pesar de los esfuerzos que el Gobierno y otros actores han hecho en este sentido. Las barreras geográficas, sociales y económicas siguen siendo difíciles de atajar, por lo que hay pendientes en distintos frentes. La lucha contra la desigualdad y el desarrollo de la infraestructura son sólo algunos de ellos. En 2021 el porcentaje de hogares a nivel nacional que poseía algún tipo de televisor era de 89.5 %. En cuanto a la infraestructura para recibir servicios de televisión, las cifras variaron dependiendo de la zona. Por ejemplo, la televisión por cable fue la más usada en las cabeceras municipales, mientras que la televisión abierta fue la más usada en los centros poblados y zonas rurales. Para ese mismo periodo, el porcentaje de hogares que poseía computador de escritorio, portátil o tableta fue de 37.9 % y el porcentaje de personas que tenía teléfono celular de cualquier tipo era de 76.3 %. En cuanto a la conectividad, el 60.5 % del total nacional de hogares poseía conexión fija a Internet, con mayor proporción en las cabeceras. Sin embargo, esta relación se invirtió en las áreas rurales, donde la conexión móvil, a la que un 75 % de la población total tenía acceso, fue más popular. En cuanto a operadores de Internet fijo, el mercado lo domina Claro, seguido de Tigo y Movistar. Con respecto a operadores de Internet móvil, el mercado también lo domina Claro y le siguen Movistar y Tigo. Ahora bien, dentro del total de personas que utilizaron Internet, el dispositivo através del cual se reportó mayor acceso a este servicio es el teléfono celular con 93.9 %. De los usuarios de Internet entre 16 a 64 años que usan plataformas de redes sociales, el 94 % del universo analizado por el estudio We Are Social utilizó WhatsApp, seguido muy de cerca por Facebook con un 91.7 % e Instagram con un 84.4 %, todas pertenecientes al conglomerado Meta. En cuanto al alcance de la audiencia potencial de los medios sociales digitales conectados, Facebook llevó la delantera, seguido de YouTube e Instagram. Sobre lo relacionado con motores de búsqueda, sin importar la tecnología de hardware que se emplee, Google se ubicó en el primer lugar con una concentración del 97,19 % del total de usuarios que realizó búsquedas en Internet. Como se ve, hay compañías con gran dominio en el mercado y, aunque existe la sensación de variedad, lo cierto es que no es así. Por otro lado, aunque el país está más conectado que antes y los ciudadanos tienen más opciones que antes para consumir información, los medios no la tienen fácil. Aparte de las tensiones por la pauta publicitaria, que se han visto exacerbadas por el rol de conglomerados como Meta y Google, tienen más competencia y, en muchos sentidos, más obstáculos que antes. Sortear estos retos adecuadamente es clave y está estrechamente ligado con su capacidad de mantenerse a flote económicamente y de ganarse o recuperar la confianza del público, especialmente en momentos donde la desinformación y las noticias falsas son el pan de cada día." (Conclusiones, página 20-21) more

Measuring Digital Development. Facts and Figures: Focus on Small Island Developing States Quick Overview

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023 Top Insights

Measuring Digital Development. Facts and Figures: Focus on Small Island Developing States
Quick Overview

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023
Top Insights