For years we have been hearing about the Digital Divide, in Italian “divario digitale”. This phenomenon affects a large part of the population of our country, fueling vicious cycles made up of social imbalances, economic inequalities and cultural issues. But what happens in the business world? What are the risks for companies with offices in Digital Divide areas? And how can they overcome this situation and finally get connected?
What does Digital Divide mean?
In general, Digital Divide, in Italian “divario digitale”, refers to the gap between those who have access to new technologies and those who cannot use them for technical, economic or social reasons.
If we focus on connectivity, it is easy to understand that those without access to the network will hardly be able to use all those Internet-related communication services such as cloud services, distance learning, telemedicine, etc… Specifically, a Digital Divide Area is an area where a connectivity service that adequately meets the needs of individuals, companies and public administration is not available.
What is the situation in Italy?
Despite the investment and infrastructure plan to make ultra-broadband Internet connectivity available throughout the country (BUL plan), the situation in Italy is not among the best. The reason lies in the country’s geography, which makes fiber optic deployment difficult, costly and sometimes even impossible.
According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022, which summarizes indicators on Europe’s digital performance, Italy ranks 18th place out of 27 EU Member States.
More specifically, this ranking considers not only connectivity but also human capital development, integration of digital technologies into processes and digitalization of public services. However, even considering connectivity alone, the result improves only slightly, with Italy ranking a mere 7th place.
Image source: “Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2022” published by the European Commission.
What are the risks for a company in Digital Divide?
Typically, a company is considered to be in Digital Divide when one or more of its offices are located in areas where a connectivity service adequate for typical business needs is not available.
The main disadvantages faced by companies in Digital Divide are:
Difficulty in digitalization
The service is aimed at all those companies that have the need to connect multiple business locations in order to share data and applications, without the risk of external attacks or slowdowns due to bandwidth saturation.
Loss of competitiveness
Competitor companies may not have this disadvantage and may use more competitive technologies.
Increased costs
Trying to compensate for the lack of stable connectivity can be very costly for a company that always seeks high performance standards.
Overcoming the Digital Divide in Business:
the connectivity solutions offered by Viking
For more than 20 years, Viking has been supporting companies, including those with offices in Digital Divide areas, by designing high-performance connectivity solutions available everywhere.
FiberGo: dedicated fiber optic for your company
The dedicated fiber optic consists of an infrastructure installed to connect a specific business location, even when no other type of fiber is available. It is a solution designed for the business segment, with guaranteed and 100% symmetrical minimum bandwidth.
HiperNet: the dedicated wireless bridge that connects your company wherever it is
Viking’s radio technology makes it possible to connect any company, wherever it is located. By using a point-to-point wireless connection, our wireless bridge overcomes the typical obstacles of terrestrial connections and ensures performance similar to or even better than fiber optic.
UpNet: FWA connection for companies in Digital Divide
Viking’s FWA technology (Fixed Wireless Access) combines the reachability guarantee typical of wireless technology with the economic advantages of an entry-level service tailored to business needs. UpNet allows you to connect locations in Digital Divide areas at significantly lower costs compared to a dedicated point-to-point connection.
Contact Viking and overcome the Digital Divide.
Solutions vary depending on the specific needs of each individual customer. For this reason, Viking develops customized projects capable of solving even the most critical situations.
Find out what Viking can do for your company.
