In periods of crisis, digital technologies provide a lifeline that keeps people, communities and businesses functioning. From the COVID-19 pandemic to violent conflicts and natural disasters, being connected has allowed us to continue working, learning and communicating.
How policymakers have responded to these emergencies has played a large part. In particular, as new paper by the World Bank Group’s Development Committee showed, more agile regulation has accelerated digitalization and unleashed innovation.
In today’s global context of several overlapping crises, this needs to become the norm. Secure and resilient Internet infrastructure is a fundamental necessity.
During the pandemic, as larger parts of our lives went online, Internet usage spiked worldwide. In 2020, 800 million people went online for the first time, and 58 low and middle-income countries used digital payments to deliver COVID-19 relief.
To manage that surge, governments and regulators in more than 80 countries moved quickly to change rules, including those governing the allocation of radio spectrum — the electromagnetic waves used for wireless communications.
In Ghana, regulators assigned temporary radio spectrum to networks in high demand, and all mobile service providers were granted permission to expand coverage. This resulted in better-quality service for more than 30 million mobile subscribers, enabling them to work, learn and access essential services online.
Agile regulations have also helped digital technologies offer critical support to people in fragile and conflict situations.
In Ukraine, the presence of a strong Internet connection through satellite links, even while terrestrial infrastructure is under attack, has enabled government agencies to communicate with citizens in real time.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion, shelling and cyberattacks were predicted to take down the Internet, but innovations, such as the satellite hookups, have kept the country online.
Here, too, the Ukrainian government moved quickly to speed up permissions and adapt rules.
However, a digital lifeline is effective only if it is safeguarded from cyberattacks, something that Ukraine knows well. For many years, the country has been a testing ground for strikes on infrastructure. Hackers carried out waves of attacks that hit Ukraine’s distribution centers, call centers and power grid.
It is not just Ukraine. All countries are vulnerable to these incursions. The US last year fell victim to cyberattacks that took down its largest fuel pipeline, leaving many Americans in long lines to fill their tanks. In Africa, Kenyan Internet users endured more than 14 million malware incidents in 2020.
Like cyberattacks, nature can cause damage to communications infrastructure that demands an agile reaction.
A volcanic eruption in January sent Tonga into digital darkness. The eruption cut the country’s single undersea telecom cable, and threw it into 38 days of isolation from the Internet and much of the outside world. This crisis has prompted discussions about how to strengthen the network and emergency response systems, so Tongans are not at risk of digital darkness again.
To mitigate such vulnerabilities, unleashing digitalization needs to be a high priority even in periods of relative calm. Potentially transformative yet fast-evolving technologies require policymakers to promote financing, regulations and institutions that make it easier to test new ideas in real life. Some countries are starting to make progress. Kazakhstan is using agile regulation to digitalize, decentralize and decarbonize its vitally important energy operations.
Unlocking the potential of digitalization for the masses through well-targeted regulation can also help close the digital divide and improve welfare.
Recent research has shown that the availability of cheaper Internet access increases employment among low-income households. Countries such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Malaysia provide low-cost plans for poorer users.
Digital access is essential for people all over the world, especially residents of under-connected rural areas, the poor, women and the displaced. In Nigeria and Tanzania, poverty rates fell by 7 percentage points in areas with Internet connections.
With the world facing multiple emergencies, policymakers need to mobilize digital connectivity to improve the daily welfare of the most vulnerable populations. Right now, innovation is moving so fast that many officials, especially in developing countries, are finding it hard to keep up and ensure that the benefits of digitalization reach the people who need them most.
However, we should not need a crisis to accelerate the transformation. Now is the time to build a digital lifeline — before the next disaster hits.
Riccardo Puliti is vice president for infrastructure at the World Bank.
Copyright: Project Syndicate
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry