According to the Master of Science Maryleana Méndez, general secretary of the Inter-American Association of Telecommunications Companies, 77 percent of rural households in this continental area do not have Internet access, while in urban settlements the figure reaches 33 percentage points.
In the same situation are 42 percent of people under 25 years of age and 54 percent of those over 66, the directive abounded, whose presentation took place during the second of the days of the XVIII Convention and International Informatics Fair 2022 , held in this capital.
In his opinion, reducing the connectivity gap is crucial, especially when there is evidence that digital transformation has a considerable impact on economic progress.
It has been established, he said, that a 1.0 percent increase in the digitization rate results in a 0.32 percent increase in Gross Domestic Product, and a 0.26 percent increase in labor productivity.
As he added, the connection to the network of networks in the subcontinent is established fundamentally through mobile devices.
67 percent of the inhabitants, and 60 percent of households in the region, use the Internet, while mobile broadband penetration is 70 percent and fixed is 14 percent, it revealed.
Méndez said that digital transformation is an endeavor that can provide dissimilar benefits, since it improves the citizen’s experience, changes the way of doing business and supposes an increase in the quality of life and well-being of people.
He considered, however, that the process is a challenge after the onslaught of the Covd-19 pandemic, whose damages translated into a drop in income and investment amounts.
Therefore, it is necessary to innovate to achieve the objectives set with the help of strategies such as the adoption of innovative schemes from a technological and regulatory vision, of business, and the incorporation of digitization into production processes, he emphasized.
He also highlighted the relevance in the development of digital skills, in the use of the workforce and in the participation of multiple actors in achieving the goals to be achieved.
The XVIII Convention and International Informatics Fair 2022 is celebrated from the day before and until next Friday at the Palace of Conventions in Havana and from the Fevexpo virtual platform.
Specialists from more than 14 countries participate in it, whose presentations will deal with issues associated with telecommunications, robotics, cybersecurity, among others.
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