TECH

How broadband internet has changed lives from Rwanda to Cambodia

A UN Working Group produced a study of the impact of broadband Internet on the sustainable development of the most vulnerable countries. The document notes that there are still major challenges for integrating regions into the information society, but that it is possible to overcome them and there is great progress to be made. The report focused on four countries: Cambodia, Rwanda, Senegal and Vanuatu, which served as study and gauges of what can be done to overcome the challenges.The report begins by posting general figures for 2015, when fixed quality broadband penetration accounted for less than 1% of subscriptions and less than 20% for smartphones. Compared to developed countries, the penetration rate is 30% and 90%, respectively. Remote and rural communities still had less access to the internet.The high price of broadband is still seen as the main obstacle to growth, requiring investment in network infrastructures and maintenance. The introduction of national policies to promote broadband may attract investment, but the changes must be supported by efforts to expand the resources and capabilities necessary for this, including access to energy, literacy and technical skills.
The implementation of broadband in the four countries showed considerable progress, with an expansion of the infrastructure that made it more accessible. In Rwanda a 4G LTE wireless network is being built with a coverage of 95% of the population expected this year and in the Vanuatu initiative the coverage is around 98%. In Senegal partnerships are being made between the state and private entities to bring broadband to all. And Cambodia now offers some of the world's lowest prices for mobile internet access, which has allowed the country to become one of the most competitive markets, attracting 100% foreign investment.The report reveals that the introduction of written messages in the health sector (which serve as an example to remind diabetics), finance and agriculture (which introduced new ways of comparing agricultural prices) has helped to improve the lives of the population.The four countries have shown clear signs of progress and work but have not yet reached their potential due to the lack of relevant local content and applications, in addition to the usual challenges of low digital literacy and the high price of smartphones, which should priority in the strategy of expanding the internet. Nevertheless, the mobile operators in the countries concerned are among the main taxpayers, generating many Jobs.

Cambodian fruit vendor

It should be noted that satellites were used to make connections to rural and remote environments that are not yet connected, still allowing the mobile structure to be supported. The expansion of the internet in the four countries has made it possible to connect online between government institutions, as well as to digitize the back office of administrative processes. In some situations there are exchanges of medical images in the area of ​​medicine, and the sending of drones with vaccines and blood samples to areas of difficult access. Also, education has gained new teaching supports through multimedia, with several applications developed by institutions. Drones and surveillance systems for disaster monitoring are being used in Vanuatu.
In this sense, the study highlights some lessons to be learned from the four cases that should be applied to the less favored countries to accelerate the impact of broadband internet. Digital training and the call for technology need to be expanded by government and population. On the other hand, governments need to regulate the legislation that underpins the digital economy, for the development of online services. Dialogue and coordination between government, private sector, educational institutions and development partners must be achieved.

Finally, the study says that better systems should be created to monitor and evaluate the impact of broadband internet. The working group concluded that the four countries have weaknesses in the ability to collect, compile and study statistics on the evolution of the digital economy, making it difficult to construct strategies to adapt to changing market conditions.


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