With 2020 behind us, several reports into the costs of internet shutdowns have been released, and notably, India topped the list for about three quarters of the $4B lost worldwide due to internet outages and shutdowns, doubling from the previous year. At $2.8B, this cost reflects 8,927 hours of blackout.
This measurement of cost of shutdowns is useful because it shows how vital broadband connectivity is for business – and here at a macro scale.
Let’s observe something – in India’s case, this was deliberate, government shutdowns of connectivity.
However, there’s an inverse to that. If a government isn’t encouraging broadband growth and access… you’re shutting out rather than shutting down access. That has an economic hit too. It’s why I focus on broadband access – I believe this is holding back services opportunities, and I hope you do too… enough to speak up.
Source: Bloomberg
Source: The Next Web