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In collaboration with Boston Consulting Group Accelerating Digital Inclusion in the New Normal P L A Y B O O K J U L Y 2 0 2 0 Cover: Getty Images/Dobrila Vignjevic Inside: Getty Images/Subman; Reuters/Amit Dave; Reuters/Danish Siddiqui; Unsplash/Dan Burton; Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi; Reuters/Jason Redmond Contents Executive summary 1 Role of connectivity in the time of COVID-19 2 Critical gaps in the digital divide 3 A growing digital divide in the ‘new normal’ 4 The future of digital inclusion 8 4.1 Growth 13 4.2 Financing 18 4.3 Technology Conclusion Acknowledgements Endnotes ? 2020 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system. Executive summary The COVID-19 crisis has thrown into sharp focus the importance of digital connectivity in daily life. As many countries underwent lockdown periods, digital infrastructure was critical to mitigate the impact of stay-at-home restrictions. Connectivity players have contributed by taking short-term actions to ensure continued access during the crisis. More importantly, their long-term investment in infrastructure over the past 20 years has driven a step change in the level of fixed and mobile coverage and technology. This has enabled the continuation of key activities digitally, such as remote working, healthcare and education, and underpinned the growth of sectors such as e-commerce while supporting adjacent industry players at a critical time. At the same time, the crisis has also exposed even more clearly the gaps that still exist in digital access. When essential services such as health, education or simply being able to continue one’s professional activity depend on connectivity, the inequalities became exacerbated. There remains a divide in access to high-speed fixed and mobile connectivity. Even among fixed broadband subscribers, many do not