When life happens online, connectivity is the key

Filling up the kettle. It’s something most of us do several times a day, without giving much thought to the immediacy and availability of fresh water. As I stood making my tea this morning I caught up with the news on my phone. With a few swipes of the screen I can see what’s going on in the world and at work. Just as we expect water to flow through our taps, we expect to get connected instantaneously. 

Over these last 15 months, connectivity has oiled our cogs like never before. Millions more people have had to work from home due to COVID-19 and for many children it’s been the only way to get any form of education. It’s been vital for everything from ordering shopping to booking doctors’ appointments. And it’s also been a blessing for our sanity with YouTube workouts, meditation apps and access to music (I don’t know where I’d be without my Spotify playlists!). It’s meant we can hang out with friends and family, and has filled the void when the shutters came down on art galleries and theatres. Essentially, throughout the pandemic, it’s been a lifeline.

And while we now take its presence for granted, for those who can’t get online or where high-speed connectivity is lacking, it can have significant consequences.

The importance of mobile networks

It’s strange to think that I’ve still not walked through the doors of an Ericsson building, despite now having worked here over a year. But remote onboarding has become standard. Like all of us, I have built relationships, recruited team members and conducted business from my desk at home.

We have all learned first hand how to use digital tools to get our work done and to collaborate with one another, not only with the day-to-day, but with industry conferences, big events and networking activities. We’ve all had to improvise and conduct these in new ways online. 

And outside of work, the huge acceleration in digitalisation has had an impact on our access to public services, from passport applications to voting.

Why does all this matter? Because when online activities replace what happens in person, the networks that make it possible become more relevant and important than ever.

A basic right

So if we can’t access these networks, we lose out on opportunities - and that applies to our jobs and also our children’s education.

Last year UNESCO reported that 1.5 billion children have been affected by school closures across the globe. For many students, remote learning has been impossible. Even in the UK, estimates suggest as many as 1.3 million school-age children lack reliable internet access at home.

The digital divide

The pandemic has highlighted this global problem of inequality when it comes to accessing online services. Connectivity is now a basic human right but many lack access.

The United Nations agency responsible for information and communication technologies has stated there are still 3.6 billion people who are unconnected. And according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, 40 percent of people in rural areas across Europe currently lack access to fast broadband connections.

This digital divide is a real and urgent challenge. Closing the digital divide is vital to ensure a fair distribution of digital opportunities - in jobs, education and quality of life - across countries, locations, gender, socioeconomic status and age.

I had a tiny taste recently of what life might be like without a high-speed connection when I moved house over Easter. While it’s only a mile from a main road and hardly remote, our new home lies in a valley where there’s no fixed fibre. We found a solution - here’s my husband James setting up our 4G-enabled WiFi network (pictured) - but I realise we’re very fortunate; it’s not an accessible solution for all.

5G’s role in connectivity

During a virtual address to the GTI Summit earlier this year, our CEO Börje Ekholm spoke about the increased importance of wireless connectivity that’s emerged from heightened demand - and the digital divide it exposed - caused by COVID-19. Börje believes 5G will become the main choice for access technology.

At Ericsson we’re excited by the role 5G can play in building a connected future along with the economic and social benefits it will deliver.

The potential economic value of full 5G as an ‘open innovation platform’ could add EUR 250 billion in benefits to Europe, according to this Analysys Mason report commissioned by Ericsson. From connected vehicles to real-time automation, autonomous robotics to augmented reality, the common thread that links almost all new emerging technologies is the need for high-capacity, reliable and secure wireless connectivity.

But there’s also a simpler, albeit essential, role 5G can play: getting disconnected communities online. 5G wireless mobile network technology makes ‘last mile’ connectivity over difficult, remote terrain much quicker and simpler than laying underground fixed lines to the door.

Avoiding a digital chasm

In this article for Wired magazine, my colleague Jasmeet Sethi, head of Customer Insights at Ericsson ConsumerLab outlines how 5G is an important piece of the puzzle to bridge the digital divide. 5G has the potential to democratise super-fast connectivity - and that’s really exciting.

What’s more, The World Economic Forum has detailed how 5G can deliver social value across many of the United Nations sustainable development goals, contributing to responsible consumption, enabling sustainable cities and communities, and fuelling economic growth.

So in addition to commercial opportunities, boosting innovation and increasing global economic value, 5G has a large part to play in previously disconnected rural areas, helping local businesses digitalise and connect to the broader economy, driving productivity and creating new wealth and job opportunities.

The challenge is that unless governments and policy makers deploy 5G expansively, the inequality in digital connectivity we see today will widen significantly.

Let’s put the foundations in place

Working at home and online learning are here to stay. So let’s put the foundations in place to support a superfast digital infrastructure that can fuel the much-needed economic and social recovery from COVID-19.

In his address to the GTI Summit, Börje said that those countries leading with their digital capabilities will reap clear competitive advantages. Those that fail to do so will inevitably lose competitiveness.

Bridging the digital divide is a fundamental issue of our time. After all, how can we fully function, and have a wholly immersive and supported experience in the 21st century, without connectivity?

This is how valuable connectivity is - yet we need to move faster on 5G! 5G brings huge potential, with a raft of economic and societal benefits. By accelerating 5G deployment, we have the opportunity to bridge the digital divide - especially here in Europe - driving that post-pandemic recovery.

Whether it’s educating our children, enabling communities to access digital public services or providing the means for us to do our jobs, connectivity matters. Because when life happens online, connectivity is the key.