The global digital divide, or separation between countries or groups based on access to technology and the internet, has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) found that only 18% of the population in the least developed countries use the internet compared to 41% in moderate developing countries compared to 81% in developed countries. Breaking down into low-income developing countries (LIDC), the UNCTAD found a gender gap as well, with 14% of women having access to the internet compared to 21% of men. Roughly 4.6 billion people don’t have access to a smartphone, and 3.7 billion people don’t have internet access globally.
With the emergence of 5G, there’s potential to bring high speed internet access everywhere and unlock new technologies and industries. Open RAN is a movement in wireless telecommunications to disaggregate hardware and software and to create open interfaces between them. Thus, internet providers would be able to work together to produce faster and cheaper technology. According to Vodafone’s U.K. CTO Scott Petty, Open RAN can “make us less dependent on current larger technology suppliers, and find ways to reduce the cost of rolling out mobile coverage. Open RAN can also help close the digital divide between urban and rural.”
(A slight aside on terminology: in this space, there is a distinction between “Open RAN,” “OpenRAN,” “O-RAN,” and “ORAN.” “Open RAN” is the movement for creating open infrastructure. “OpenRAN” refers to a group within the Telecom Infra Project that’s responsible for building 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies. “O-RAN” refers to the O-RAN alliance that publishes documentation and standards. And “ORAN” is ambiguous but is used for the movement “Open RAN” but never used for the standards “O-RAN.” It’s important to note the distinction when discussing the topic.)
Despite the global need for better access to the internet, there is fierce competition as opposed to collaboration. Many developed nations are racing to establish dominance in the 5G space, and this is most notable with the US-China rivalry with Huawei. While there are concerns of national security and privacy, Huawei and ZTE are integral to the global supply chain for 5G equipment and software. Collaboration is needed to ensure that the development of 5G is equitable, especially to low-income developing nations as the world becomes more technological interconnected.
Articles and sources:
https://unctad.org/news/digital-divide-impeding-development
The Economic and Social Council Blog 