Digital divide – Past and present of TLC Made in Italy, is the title of the usual event that Assoprovider organizes in the month of June (28-29, via Alibert, Rome).

The battle to reduce the digital divide remains at the center of all Assoprovider's activities. The issue of the digital divide, with the exclusion of many from the benefits of technological progress it entails, becomes even more important in the era of ultra-broadband.

Assoprovider in the meeting in Rome will discuss the challenges and initiatives, current and future projects, that it is implementing to counteract the negative effects of the digital divide and reduce social inequalities in access to the Internet and new technologies.

But what is the current state of the digital divide and what threats does it pose? Here are three things to know.

The word coined by Al Gore

The issue of digital divide began to spread around the mid-1990s. Experts and scholars of the evolution of the Internet highlight how the spread of the Internet cause new forms of social inequality, with a growing gap between those who can access information (information haves) and those who do not have the means to do so (the so-called havenots).

The first to use the expression, in 1996 was Al Gore, who in May 1996, used it to show a gap that is forming between the information haves and have nots and the social risks it could have entailed.

The expression has evolved over time. Today, the digital divide primarily refers to the division of the world's population into two segments: those who can enjoy the benefits of the advent of the digital society and those who cannot. A distinction that causes socio-economic and cultural fractures.

It is no coincidence that those suffering from the digital divide, are the most vulnerable subjects: the elderly, immigrants, people with disabilities, people with a low level of education. And more generally, the inhabitants of small communities living in areas where large telecommunications operators have little interest in investing.

The many levels of the digital divide and all the numbers

There is then a further distinction between first-level, second-level, and third-level digital divide. First-level refers to the lack of fixed broadband coverage for the population at at least 2 Megabits (Adsl, fixed wireless, etc.). According to the latest surveys by AGCOM, conducted in 2018, 5.6% of the population in Italy did not have Adsl coverage.

Then there is the second-level digital divide, namely the lack of coverage for ultra-broadband services, which is increasingly necessary today to adequately enjoy Internet services. According to Agcom estimates, the percentage of Italians not covered by ultra-broadband ranges between 20% and 40% of the Italian population.

Finally, the specter of a third-level digital divide looms, for example, the lack of fiber optic coverage in homes: in Italy this data concerns at least 20% of the population.

Starting a reflection on the topic today becomes even more important, given the rapid advancements in the field and the many technologies now available on the market, FTTHP, FTTC, FWA, etc., and next-generation networks, such as 5G.

Here you can read the three prerequisites according to Assoprovider to best tackle the 5G challenge.

The digital divide at the heart of Assoprovider's activities

Assoprovider has always been at the forefront in denouncing and removing all instances of discrimination in citizens' and SMEs' access to Internet services.

Over the years, the association has won tough battles against multinationals and with the activities of its small operators, it has contributed to reduce the digital divide, investing with its companies in the so-called market failure areas. And also devising new initiatives and projects.

Concrete projects, such as the partnership with Legacoop, to promote the distribution of fiber optic in complex areas, such as the earthquake-affected regions in Umbria (read more about this initiative).

The event in Rome it will be an opportunity to take stock of the solutions and strategies devised over the years by Assoprovider and discuss the new challenges of the Network that await SMEs and citizens. And how to tackle them together.