"Whether you are a policy-maker, business leader or tech enthusiast, this report provides valuable insights into the current state of the national digital landscape and its potential to shape the future. It provides constructive recommendations, roadmaps and comprehensive opportunities to strengthen
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capacities and accelerate digital transformation. With the ever-evolving digital landscape, it will be an essential tool for all key stakeholders of North Macedonia who are looking to stay ahead of the curve and be at the forefront of the national digital revolution." (Foreword by Azir Aliu, Minister of Information Society and Administration, Republic of North Macedonia)
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"This digital innovation profile, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Georgia Innovation and Technology Agency, aims to accurately assess the country's digital ecosystem capacity and maturity to help Georgia and its stakeholders navigate the di
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gital innovation landscape. The objective is to help Georgia to continue building new capabilities for a competitive, sustainable, and ICT-enabled economy that accelerates the development of the digital economy toward achieving Georgia’s vision. The creation of this profile entailed an exhaustive process, involving comprehensive research, one-on-one interviews with experts, and collaborative workshops with stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, finance, academia, entrepreneurs, and support networks. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the national stakeholders who actively participated in this endeavour. Their contributions and insights have been instrumental in shaping the profile and ensuring its relevance and applicability. This digital innovation profile will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, innovators, the private sector, and other stakeholders in Georgia. It offers critical insights into Georgia’s digital innovation landscape, identifies areas for improvement, and presents strategic recommendations for collective decision-making processes towards accelerating the country’s AI-driven competitive advantage." (Foreword)
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"This digital innovation profile, developed in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister Republic of Serbia, aims to accurately assess the country's digital ecosystem capacity and maturity to help Serbia and its stakeholders navigate the digital innovation landscape. The objective is to he
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lp Serbia to continue building new capabilities for a competitive, sustainable, and ICT-enabled economy that accelerates the development of the digital economy toward achieving Serbia’s vision. The creation of this profile entailed an exhaustive process, involving comprehensive research, one-on-one interviews with experts, and collaborative workshops with stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, finance, academia, entrepreneurs, and support networks. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the national stakeholders who actively participated in this endeavour. Their contributions and insights have been instrumental in shaping the profile and ensuring its relevance and applicability. This digital innovation profile will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, innovators, the private sector, and other stakeholders in Serbia. It offers critical insights into Serbia’s digital innovation landscape, identifies areas for improvement, and presents strategic recommendations for collective decision-making processes." (Foreword)
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"Oman has made tremendous strides with various ICT investments and its Digital Economy Program and continues to address opportunities toward the Oman Vision 2040. This Digital Innovation Profile, conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCI
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T) of the Sultanate of Oman, aims to accurately assess the country's digital ecosystem capacity and maturity to help Oman and its stakeholders navigate the digital innovation landscape. The aim is to help Oman to continue building new capabilities for a competitive, sustainable, and ICT-enabled economy that accelerates the development of the digital economy toward achieving Oman's vision. This work required an assessment of the current state of the digital innovation ecosystem in Oman, identification of areas of improvement, and presentation of recommendations through a process of research, one-on-one interviews with experts, and co-creation workshops with local stakeholders, including members from the public sector, private sector, finance, academia, entrepreneurs and support networks. I want to thank all the national stakeholders who participated in the co-design of the assessment, particularly the MTCIT staff and the team of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that facilitated the process. I hope this profile will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, entrepreneurs, the private sector, and other stakeholders in Oman. I additionally hope it will guide decision-making and investment in areas critical for the country's growth and development." (Foreword)
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"Mobile technologies underpin digital transformation in the Pacific Islands as authorities take steps to help economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and manage threats from climate change and natural disasters. Mobile is the first (in most cases only) form of internet connectivity for many con
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sumers and businesses across the region. In the past few years, mobile subscriber penetration and smartphone adoption have increased but remain considerably lower than the global average. Improving access to connectivity and closing the mobile internet usage gap are essential for socioeconomic development and to ensure that no one is left behind.
Digital connectivity – with 5G at the core – is set to shape the way people live and businesses operate, accelerating socioeconomic advancement across areas such as healthcare, education, digital commerce, transport and tourism. 5G is still in its early stages in the Pacific Islands; only Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands had launched commercial 5G services as of March 2023. However, operators have already taken steps to prepare for the 5G era, including making their networks 5G-ready. By 2030, the number of 5G connections in the Pacific Islands will reach 1.5 million, equivalent to 17% of total mobile connections. In the meantime, there is an opportunity to migrate more customers from legacy (2G and 3G) networks to 4G, growing adoption beyond 50% in the coming years." (Executive summary)
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"As the world was distracted by the long, drawn out economic and social disruptions caused by the coronavirus, Beijing seized the “opportunity” offered by the crisis to accelerate its national digital strategy, titled unassumingly “Digital China.” With a decades-long personal tie to General
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Secretary Xi Jinping, the strategy is designed to lift China’s core competitiveness and societal efficiency through comprehensive digital transformation at the national level. Mostly unknown in the West, Digital China has profound implications for China’s developmental path, great power competition, and for the norms that will undergird the international system for decades to come. Beijing hopes to leverage a latecomer’s advantage to win what it sees as the new focal point of great power competition in the digital age: the race to design and build the world’s first nationally integrated system of rules, institutions, and technology to comprehensively manage big data and its intelligent application. This expresses itself in the Digital China strategy’s intense focus on the governance and control of data, a process Beijing calls the “new stage” in national informatization. Equally important, the Communist Party also now considers the “control of data” to be essential to its own survival, on par with the control of media, the military, and personnel. Rooted in Marxist theory, the Digital China strategy is both deeply transformative and deeply competitive. In effect, it is the world’s first digital grand strategy. Internally, the party’s deft control of data will create the world’s first “Smart Society,” demonstrating to China’s citizens and the world that capitalism has nothing to offer over socialism. Externally, a successful Digital China strategy will usher in an era of Chinese innovation that brings with it great power status across multiple strategic domains, civilian and military. Although a self-described monumental task, party leaders believe that Digital China is the strategy that will enable China to win the digital age." (Executive summary)
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"Digitale Monopole bringen immer größere Teile unserer Lebenswelt unter ihre Kontrolle. Die Plattformen dominieren zunehmend die politische Meinungsbildung und schaffen zugleich unsere freie Marktwirtschaft ab. Man fragt sich: Ist das überhaupt noch legal? Warum sollten wir uns das noch länger g
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efallen lassen? Der Medienwissenschaftler Martin Andree zeigt messerscharf, wie weit die feindliche Übernahme unserer Gesellschaft durch die Tech-Giganten schon fortgeschritten ist - und wie wir uns das Internet zurückerobern können." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Over the past few years, India has taken decisive steps to reduce its dependence on Chinese technology and investments. This was triggered by border skirmishes with China in 2020, but built on longstanding national security concerns about China, given the history of conflict between the two countri
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es. India has banned hundreds of Chinese apps like TikTok and UC Browser, restricted Chinese investments in Indian companies, and mandated that telecom infrastructure be from “trusted sources”, and tried to reduce the import of products from China. These actions have come along with active support and development of regulations in favour of domestic companies and innovation, a push for manufacturing in India, and global alliances to ensure that China doesn’t dominate emerging technologies. Not all of these moves have been successful: it hasn’t been able to address its trade gap with China, Chinese technology is still implemented in Indian telecom networks, and Indian alternatives to Chinese applications haven’t successfully replaced TikTok. India has, however, been opportunistic, and demonstrated agility in leveraging geopolitical developments to further its goals: there is a clear sense of direction in its approach. Its actions underscore striking a balance between economic gains and strategic interests. Thus far, the anti-China measures instituted by the Indian government haven’t gravely harmed India. They have benefitted a few Indian companies, and American companies even more so. The impact on trade has been minimal so far. It is, however, probably still too early to understand the full impact of these policies as the efforts are part of a long-term approach, but an approach that so far looks promising." (Executive summary)
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"Mobile connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to drive digital transformation and socioeconomic advancements. This underlines the need for continued efforts to address the persisting barriers that impact mobile internet adoption in the region, particularly the affordability of devices, online
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safety concerns and the lack of digital skills. Meanwhile, authorities and enterprises see an opportunity to leverage growing 4G and 5G networks, alongside emerging technologies such as AI and IoT, to enhance productivity and efficiency in service delivery. The adoption of 4G has accelerated in recent years, partly driven by the growing demand for faster speeds among younger consumers. Over the next five years, 4G adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa will more than double to 45%. 5G momentum is also growing, although the initial focus for 5G deployment is on urban areas and industrial locations, where there is greater need for the technology. 5G is expected to benefit the Sub-Saharan Africa economy by $11 billion in 2030, accounting for more than 6% of the overall economic impact of mobile." (Executive summary)
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"Although the figures for access and use of ICT have gradually improved in Colombia, the situation is far from optimal. The same goes for connectivity. The most concerning aspect overall is the difference between urban centers and rural areas. The gap is significant and seems to be far from closing,
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despite the efforts made by the government and other actors to narrow this gap. Geographic, social, and economic barriers continue to be difficult to tackle. In 2021, the percentage of households nationwide that owned some type of television was 89.5%. As for the infrastructure to receive television services, the figures varied depending on the area. For example, cable television was the most used in municipal capitals, while free-to-air television was most used in rural areas. The same year, the percentage of households that owned a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet was 37.9%, and the percentage of people who had a cell phone of any type was 76.3%. As for connectivity, 60.5% of the total national households had fixed internet connection, with a higher proportion in large cities. In rural areas, mobile connection, which 75% of the total population have access to, is more popular. As for fixed Internet operators, the market is dominated by Claro, followed by Tigo and Movistar. Regarding mobile internet suppliers, the market is also dominated by Claro, followed by Movistar and Tigo. Among internet users, the device most used to get online access is the cellphone with 93.9%. WhatsApp is the most popular social media platform with 94% of internet users, followed very closely by Facebook with 91.7% and Instagram with 84.4%, all belonging to the Meta conglomerate. Google leads in the search engine market with more than 97% of all users who performed searches on the internet. Thus, although the internet seems to be a diverse market, the truth is that it is not so. On the other hand, although the country is more connected than ever before and citizens have more options to consume information, the media do not have it easy. Apart from tensions over advertising revenue, which have been exacerbated by the growing power of conglomerates like Meta and Google, they face more competition and, in many ways, more obstacles than before. Successfully overcoming those challenges is key and depends on their ability to stay afloat economically and to earn or regain the public's trust, especially in times when disinformation and fake news are everyday realities." (Conclusions, page 16)
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"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
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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)
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"Mit parteistaatlicher Unterstützung avancierten die großen IT-Unternehmen Chinas seit Ende der 1990er Jahre schnell zu den Motoren der am dynamischsten wachsenden Digitalwirtschaft der Welt. Sie adaptierten zunächst Produkte und Geschäftsmodelle aus dem Ausland, gingen danach aber eigene Wege.
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Millionen von Chinesinnen und Chinesen entdeckten auf Diskussionsplattformen, in Spielen oder durch Blogs neue Möglichkeiten der Identitätsgestaltung und erlernten neue Formen des Austauschs. Diese Technik-Begeisterung überlagerte lange die mahnenden Stimmen, die auf die destruktiven Folgen der Digitalisierung und des flächendeckenden staatlichen Datenmissbrauchs hinwiesen. Rund um die Olympischen Sommerspiele 2008 in Beijing begann die Staats- und Parteiführung, den internationalen Informationsfluss einzuschränken, indem etwa Twitter und Facebook in China offiziell geblockt wurden, und investierte systematisch in eigene digitale Technologien. Diese Entwicklung hat unter Xi Jinping und durch den neuen «Kalten Krieg» mit den USA noch einmal Fahrt aufgenommen. Wer sind heute die zentralen Akteure auf Chinas digitalem Weg in die Zukunft? Wie abhängig sind sie von Staat und Partei? Und welche Potenziale bergen die neuen Technologien für den Wunsch nach interner Öffnung und Demokratisierung?" (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"The year 2018 marks the first year in human history in which a majority of the world's population are now connected to the internet. This mass connectivity means that we have an internet that no longer connects only the world's wealthy. Workers from Lagos to Johannesburg to Nairobi and everywhere i
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n between can now apply for and carry out jobs coming from clients who themselves can be located anywhere in the world. Digital outsourcing firms can now also set up operations in the most unlikely of places in order to tap into hitherto disconnected labour forces. With CEOs in the Global North proclaiming that 'location is a thing of the past' (Upwork, 2018), and governments and civil society in Africa promising to create millions of jobs on the continent, the book asks what this 'new world of digital work' means to the lives of African workers. It draws from a year-long fieldwork in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda, with over 200 interviews with participants including gig workers, call and contact centre workers, self-employed freelancers, small-business owners, government officials, labour union officials, and industry experts. Focusing on both platform-based remote work and call and contact centre work, the book examines the job quality implications of digital work for the lives and livelihoods of African workers." (Publisher description)
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"There are two highlights to this year’s findings, firstly, the same three platforms that scored the first point for Fair Pay last year scored a point this year too. No other platform publicly committed, or provided sufficient evidence, to ensure that workers earn at least the hourly local minimum
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wage after work-related costs. Even with workers and worker groups repeatedly emphasising the importance of a stable income for platform workers, platforms have been reluctant to publicly commit to, and operationalise, a minimum wage policy. Secondly, while workers have engaged in various forms of collective action to voice their concerns in the platform economy, platforms have been uncompromisingly unwilling to recognise or negotiate with any collective body representing workers." (Key findings, page 4)
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