The UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2020: Spotlight on Latin America and the Caribbean

 

Switzerland Climbs to Top of Global E-Commerce Index

https://unctad.org/webflyer/unctad-b2c-e-commerce-index-2020-spotlight-latin-america-and-caribbean

Minimum data consumption: How much is needed to support online activities, and is it affordable?

 

• The primary payment method for mobile internet usage in most developing countries is prepaid, with the amount tied to a specific volume of data usage. Data volume is therefore a useful yardstick to determine how much is needed to carry out important welfare enhancing activities online.
• For foundational online activities, which include websites for public services, health information, shopping, learning, and news, we estimate using data from six developing countries that 660MB per month, per user are needed for these welfare-enhancing activities. For common recreational online activities – particularly social media use – we estimate that an additional 5.2GB per month, per user is needed, for a total of approximately 6GB per month, per user.
• While the cheapest 30-day data packages in most of the countries examined exceed this minimum estimate, the cost of these packages exceeds more than 2% of income for the bottom 40% of the population, which risks widening the digital divide. 
• The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the demand for data by triggering widespread use of video conferencing for work, learning and health among others. This increased demand, along with the continuous development of more data-heavy content, will continue to inflate the minimum data needed for welfare enhancing activities, which may further exacerbate the digital divide if more affordable packages or other alternatives mechanisms for facilitating connectivity are not provided for the most vulnerable populations.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/digitaldevelopment/brief/minimum-data-consumption-how-much-is-needed-to-support-online-activities-and-is-it-affordable

Digital Inclusion Benchmark 2020

 https://assets.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/app/uploads/2020/12/DIB2020-Synthesis-report.pdf

In 2020 the World Benchmarking Alliance’s first Digital Inclusion Benchmark ranks 100 of the world’s most influential technology companies on four areas of digital inclusion: 

1) Enhancing universal access to digital technologies. 

2) Improving all levels of digital skills. 

3) Fostering trustworthy use by mitigating risks and harms. 

4) Innovating openly, inclusively, and ethically. 

The global pandemic has highlighted the urgency of digital inclusion, as we increasingly rely on digital technologies to stay connected, purchase daily necessities, and access healthcare and education. However, this accelerated digitalisation is accompanied by widening digital divides that lock billions of people out of the digital economy. Furthermore, trust in technology is fraying as citizens and governments wake up to the risks and harms of its unexamined and unrestrained applications. 

The Digital Inclusion Benchmark results show that commitment and contribution towards digital inclusion is highly uneven across industries in the digital sector, measurement areas, and markets of operation. While a few leading companies comprehensively demonstrate best practices, most have yet to embrace digital inclusion as a core responsibility. 

Table ‎1.2: Top ten companies in the benchmark

Rank	Company	Headquarters	Founded	Industry	Revenue US$ billions (FY19)	Score	Score (%)
1	Telstra	Australia	1975	Telecom services	19	1.73	0.87
2	Telefonica	Spain	1924	Telecom services	54	1.62	0.81
3	Orange	France	1941	Telecom services	47	1.59	0.80
4	PLDT	Philippines	1928	Telecom services	3	1.52	0.76
5	Nokia	Finland	1865	Hardware	26	1.51	0.76
6	Cisco	United States	1984	Hardware	52	1.47	0.74
7	Deutsche Telekom	Germany	1947	Telecom services	90	1.37	0.69
8	NTT	Japan	1952	Telecom services	109	1.32	0.66
8	HP	United States	1939	Hardware	59	1.32	0.66
10	Samsung	Republic of Korea	1969	Hardware	198	1.30	0.65