Although the actual trend is positive, Medellín´s Gini Index still fluctuates around 0.52 and 0.48. In simple terms, we have high inequality of income.
With that in mind, I have been wondering, which public infrastructure project could help decrease this figure faster in my city considering today's socioeconomic context of disruptive changes and exponential technologies?
I then started reflecting on the public investments that helped humanity exchange things and knowledge through time, including roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, seaports, electricity, and subways, among others. It also made me wonder how these public networks have positively connected us by providing non-discriminatory access to them, although we all have to pay in some way or another to use them.
I then thought on the substantial investments our recent governments have made in bringing Internet connectivity to all municipalities in our country. However, the access and appropriation of digital technologies by the citizens and the private sector is still deficient, while costs and quality are mostly non-competitive.
That is when I came across Stokab in Stockholm, as well as other municipal networks around the globe. Their model implies that the "digital roads and bridges" (passive, dark fiber optics networks) are deployed all over the city by a public entity. In turn, this public company facilitates non-discriminatory access (for a fee) to governments as well as any service providers, including corporations and startups that sell Internet access, digital TV, mobile phones, gaming, 5G, IOT, smart city solutions, security, AI, autonomous vehicles, etcetera. Therefore, this infrastructure nurtures healthy competition that benefits the whole economy as costs and quality to access the Internet improves; new jobs are created as startups can compete globally; new investments arrive from abroad and from within attracted by higher productivity; per capita income rises, and inequality tends to decrease, among other benefits.
Please read about the Stokab model and its socioeconomic benefits here.
Considering that there is a great deal of talk about Industries 4.0, digital access, appropriation of technology, etcetera, in Colombia, I have not yet encountered a proposal with a feasible strategy to stop the digital divide while having our cities use exponential technologies to resolve their issues and make money out of it.
I believe public passive ICT networks bring a possible solution.
I would love to read your thoughts about this.
