Martin Cooper, a former engineer at Motorola, now 94 years old, wears an Apple Watch and uses a state-of-the-art iPhone, seamlessly switching between email, photos, YouTube, and controls for his hearing aid. His iPhone is worlds apart from the bulky, over 1kg device of wires and circuits he used to make the first mobile phone call fifty years ago. On April 3, 1973, walking along New York’s Sixth Avenue in a suit and carrying his Diplomat briefcase, Cooper was a familiar sight. However, the moment he raised the DynaTAC to his ear to call Joel Engel, a competitor from Bell Labs, marked a critical turning point in communication history, sparking decades of innovation—technology, services, new standards and regulations, aggressive marketing, and artistry.
As with any groundbreaking invention, it stirred intense debates in the media and society over the tremendous benefits of being able to communicate anywhere and anytime, along with concerns over the technology’s impact on people and humanity. Wireless technologies like GSM, LTE, WiMAX, Wireless LAN, and Bluetooth have revolutionized how we communicate and exchange data through services available at any time, although not necessarily everywhere.
Anytime, but Not Everywhere
As the world begins to embrace the benefits of cellular wireless technology, the industry is developing strategies for the next generation of mobile communications. A new “G” has been introduced approximately every decade, but with each generation of wireless technology, upgrades become more complex, and innovation more challenging. Looking to the future, 6G offers an even greater opportunity to expand wireless solutions into almost every aspect of human-machine interaction. Based on information from industry-leading companies, we expect the new standard to begin implementation around 2030. Meanwhile, broadband usage has increased, with the estimated number of internet users reaching 4.9 billion in 2021, up from approximately 4.1 billion in 2019, according to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for information and communications technology. Although the numbers appear impressive, simple calculations reveal that by the end of 2021, 2.9 billion people—37% of individuals worldwide—had never used the internet due to lack of access.
Despite ongoing investments in innovative solutions and partnerships to extend connectivity to remote communities, the adoption of mobile internet services has not kept pace with network coverage expansion. At first glance, the digital divide appears to separate those with internet access from those without. However, studies show the digital divide is not binary. Its causes are diverse and vary by region but generally relate to accessibility, relevance, knowledge, and skills. These gaps in availability, accessibility, interest, and digital literacy exist from the international level down to neighborhoods.
Countries, including Romania, while having generally high connectivity rates, show significant disparities in rural, remote, and even urban areas. Often, these gaps overlap with other disparities, such as income and social inequality.
Closing the Digital Divide Is Not a Luxury
The ability to connect is profoundly unequal globally, as shown by the ITU in its 2021 report on the state of global digital connectivity. It is estimated that 96% of the 2.9 billion people still offline are in developing countries. Meanwhile, of the 4.9 billion categorized as “internet users,” many hundreds of millions may only occasionally go online, using shared devices or facing connectivity speeds that significantly limit the usefulness of their connection. In developing countries, internet penetration has increased by over 13%, and in the 46 least developed countries (LDCs) designated by the UN, average growth exceeded 20%.
The same study shows that the number of internet users worldwide grew by over 10% in 2019, the first year of the pandemic, marking the highest annual growth in a decade. The increase in online users is clearly correlated with measures taken during the pandemic to provide people with access to news, government services, health updates, e-commerce, and online services, contributing to the so-called “COVID connectivity boost,” which brought approximately 782 million additional people online since 2019. Governments and businesses have taken note and are preparing new measures.
A 10% increase in broadband penetration in the U.S. in 2016 would have led to over 806,000 additional jobs by 2019, or an average annual increase of 269,000 jobs, according to the study “Broadband for All: Charting a Path to Economic Growth,” conducted by Deloitte in April 2021, highlighting a strong correlation between broadband availability, employment, and GDP growth. Thus, it is no surprise that the Biden Administration aims to provide high-speed internet access to everyone in the U.S. by 2029, announcing a $45 billion budget for the “Internet for All” initiative (IFA) last year. This initiative, developed in collaboration with 20 broadband providers, seeks to improve subsidized high-speed internet plans made available to low-income Americans through the Affordable Connectivity Program. Additional programs are designed to build high-speed broadband infrastructure, teach digital skills, and provide the necessary technology to ensure everyone in the U.S. can fully participate in society.
Since 2010, the European Union has set objectives related to broadband access as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Besides a series of policies and regulations implemented by the EU, member states had around €15 billion at their disposal for the 2014–2020 period through various sources and types of funding, including €5.6 billion in loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB). However, various factors related to the financing, competition, and legal environment have limited the progress made by member states toward meeting broadband goals, as reported in Special Report No. 12 of 2018 by the European Court of Auditors.
At the end of last year, the European Commission adopted a revised communication on state aid for broadband networks (“Broadband Guidelines”), establishing new rules that support the EU’s strategic goals of ensuring connectivity and 5G coverage by the end of the decade, essential for the Union’s digital transition.
Romania has committed to ensuring access to at least one fixed ultra-fast broadband network (download speed over 100 Mbps) for all end users as part of its National Recovery and Resilience Plan, allocating €94 million for implementing a support scheme for residents, particularly in “white areas” (without internet networks). A month ago, ANCOM announced a public consultation on the topic of localities covered by fixed broadband public networks to update the map of white areas.
Simple, Affordable, and Effective Innovative Solutions
Broadband connections allow greater access to formal education and can expand the types of jobs available in a region. These positive effects on human capital can support stronger economic growth in the future. For this reason, Green eDIH constantly seeks partners offering innovative solutions that can effectively address the digital divide. One example is the technology offered by RadioLED, a company redefining broadband communications through a simple, wireless solution that utilizes existing lighting infrastructure or public buildings for device installation.
The infrastructure is a mesh network of software and hardware components, called multipoints, managed through a dashboard for measurement and monitoring. The operating system software is installed within the network infrastructure and can manage various communication protocols.
Each multipoint consists of a processor and storage options, forming a data center together with other nodes. The base network provides 5G functionality and enables the integration of existing and new telecommunications devices and infrastructure, effectively serving as a Smart City operating system that empowers administrations to manage their infrastructure and is also useful for covering rural white areas.
In addition to cutting-edge technology, efficient, rapid installation, low maintenance, and seamless integration of current and future communication technologies and protocols, sustainability and environmental impact are key criteria for us when selecting solutions to promote. Solutions like RadioLED’s are high-quality, reliable, and especially low-emission. By utilizing already existing infrastructure, this type of solution conserves the habitat in which it is applied, with minimal environmental impact.
In rural areas, next-generation broadband networks support economic development, enabling residents and businesses to conduct their activities. At the same time, implementing this solution leaves virtually no limits for innovative urban planning concepts. Public hotspots, digital information points, digital parking monitoring, people flow control, smart metering, traffic guidance systems, light shows, and sound technology are just a small selection of the possibilities offered.
