Ben Crawford is CEO of CentralNica fast-growing public technology company providing online marketing and online presence tools worldwide.
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Both the digital divide and the climate crisis are global issues that have a disproportionate impact on developing countries. I have previously written about the steps tech companies can take to close the usage gap and support new internet users to share in the benefits of the digital economy. However, I was interested in a report from Teddy Woodhouse for: The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI)an initiative of Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation, which showed how sustainably closing internet connectivity and usage gaps in low- and middle-income markets can also help in the fight against global warming.
The A4AI report cites statistics from the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and highlights how about 85% of the world’s population was covered by a 4G network in 2020; this number fluctuated around 44% in Africa and dropped to 41% in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Thus, the first challenge in reconciling connectivity and green goals relates to the physical internet infrastructure needed to fill these gaps.
Broadband network infrastructure has a significant environmental footprint, which will only increase as more networks are built. Greening this infrastructure is largely a task for policy makers to implement new standards for the construction, operation and maintenance of networks, such as regulations that encourage shared infrastructure, access to the cleanest possible electricity grid and fair charges for infrastructure use. and the import of green equipment.
However, A4AI points to another crucial area – internet usage – where businesses can have a major impact. Because, as more people connect to a network, the ecological footprint of the internet increasesbut the actual environmental impact per user decreases. Simply put, this is because these networks waste huge amounts of energy when hardly anyone is using them. As A4AI explains, “Internet infrastructure by itself does not create value that justifies the environmental costs… The greatest possible benefit of this infrastructure comes from the greatest possible number of people connecting to it and using it to create new businesses, new skills, communities build, lead movements and transform societies.”
For any company or organization that has a presence in emerging markets, wants to expand into emerging markets and/or invests in building an inclusive global digital economy at a time of increasing geopolitical and digital fragmentation, helping as many people as possible to connect. dealing with your services is not just a smart business decision. When done responsibly, it can also have transformative societal and environmental benefits, both on a local and global scale.
A4AI offers the following advice to support inclusive internet use. While the research is largely focused on policymakers, legislators alone won’t be able to make all these necessary changes, so I think these guidelines apply to businesses, especially tech companies.
• Supporting digital skills and local content creation. These are some of the most direct ways to support inclusive internet use. This can range from charitable donations and investments to providing services in local languages.
• Have an e-waste strategy. Hardware companies should develop a cohesive e-waste strategy, support the right to repair and legislation, and consider committing to product recycling and refurbishments that help lower-income users access their devices.
From my perspective, companies also need to consider these impact areas.
• Design with mobile and low bandwidth in mind. Most new internet users connect to the internet via smartphones, which already use less energy than desktop computers. That’s why it’s important to design products and services for mobile users and think about ways in which users who struggle with low bandwidth or consume data with a prepaid subscription can still connect to services in a meaningful way.
• Participate in public-private partnerships (PPP) and initiatives. Companies with better resources should consider taking on PPPs, because when the public and private sectors work together, the most profound changes take place. There has long been a deplorable climate of mutual mistrust between governments and the top tech companies, with the private sector resisting regulation and the public sector rushing to keep up with the pace of technological innovation – and this urgently needs to change.
A global digital economy focused on closing the digital divide must embrace private-public collaboration and multidimensional solutions that are social, not just technical. When we move away from techno-optimism and start embracing the specific technical, financial, cultural and regulatory frameworks needed to drive change, we unlock the potential of the digital economy to empower everyone in an inclusive and environmentally sustainable way. to be of service.
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