Mexico. In the sixties Mexican society was referred to as that of "Los Dos Méxicos", where they contrasted a modern, industrialized and urban one, beneficiary of the great infrastructure works and materialized in the growing middle class. The other, eminently rural, marginalized, lacking above all those benefits of modernity.
Unfortunately, according to the most recent analysis on the subject of The Competitive Intelligence Unit S.C., a little more than five decades later, it is possible to resume that characterization based on connectivity. So today two types of Mexicans are identified: connected and disconnected.
Indeed, the reality is that even a significant segment of the Mexican population aged 6 and older (41 million Mexicans in 2016) is in a condition of disconnection, according to figures from the Association of Internet.mx. This implies that 47% of Mexicans have limited capacities (access and connectivity device) for the timely appropriation of informative, cultural, educational, productive or social relationship content.
The aspirational element and right enshrined in article six of our Magna Carta is to get all Mexicans into the classification of being digital citizens. However, this additional differential looks the most difficult to connect, for reasons of lack of coverage, digital skills/education and purchasing power, among other causes.
Conducting a forward-looking exercise on the future of connectivity in the next five, ten or fifteen years can be very simple in the first instance. Taking into account that the efforts and mechanisms of public policy focused on universal connectivity, as well as the regulation for the gestation of effective competition in the broadband market, will increase access to the internet among the population in absolute terms.
This implies that, no matter the deadline, it is expected that there will be a favorable scenario in connectivity, such that adoption levels will continue to increase at a steady pace over time. Undoubtedly, this environment of connectivity will trigger greater social well-being, development and economic growth in absolute terms, similar to the results generated by the phenomenon of the industrial revolution at the time.
However, this does not imply that it is necessarily an inclusive or similar development in relative terms. That is to say that internet access by itself is not the solution to reduce the connectivity gap that currently divides the country into "two Mexicos" that differ in the degree of digital literacy and in the ability to access the total accumulation of the offer of technological services.
We are currently in a phase of reconfiguration in which the rapid emergence of new technologies and the sustained growth of the telecommunications market are combined, on the one hand, and on the other substantial regulatory reforms. This is a very positive thing, however, the question remains: are we really propping ourselves up towards the goal of universal and equitable connectivity for all?
In relative terms, it could be said that in the medium term (that is, it is already in the gestation phase) we will find a scenario in which on the one hand there will be hyperconnected individuals who, in addition to having a permanent and ubiquitous connection to the network, will undoubtedly have the purchasing power and knowledge necessary to fully enjoy the benefits generated by information and communication technologies (ICT). This segment of the population would benefit day by day by the internet of things, smart cities, cloud storage, advanced mobile connectivity and in general, would always be connected, following the latest technological trends.
This is a reality that is beginning to become visible in the metrics of access to devices and connectivity services. For example, despite the fact that the penetration of smartphones between mobile lines amounts to a ratio of 85.0% in the first half of 2017, such that in all segments of the population in terms of socioeconomic level (NSE) the majority has a device, there is still a high differential in access to high-end equipment that has the most advanced technological elements and optimal use of the available connectivity.
While in medium high (C+) and high (A/B) NSE the acquisition of this equipment reaches 4 out of 10 owners, at the base of the pyramid (low NSE: D+/D/E) this is a reality for only 1 in 100 of users. These indicators are similar around tablet ownership, such that the disparity between NSE A/B (66.3%) and D+/D/E (11.4%) is large and equivalent to 54.9 percentage points (pp.). An analogous circumstance could begin to be brewing in access to other connectivity devices (smartwatches, smart speakers, etc.) and new generation connectivity services (4G-LTE and next generations).
These differences are mainly attributable to lower purchasing power and a limited understanding and enablement of the potential benefits of connectivity and new technological devices. The base of the social pyramid is a group that, despite increasingly integrating into a digital society, does not have the resources, habits, skills and / or adequate training to become a beneficial owner of the spillover of well-being generated by ICT.
It is from this that it is possible to anticipate that the benefits of connected Mexico will not be for everyone. Although the levels of connectivity will permeate a large majority of the population, we could also talk about a paradox of connectivity that implies a dysfunctional connected Mexico, that is, one in which, despite having an internet connection, it will be alien to the most recent technological trends.
Although we have great opportunities to reduce the gap between the two Mexicos, providing access to the network to a greater proportion of the population is not enough. Even if a connectivity rate equivalent to 90% of the country's inhabitants were reported, the most important thing is that each of these connections is effective and truly results in higher relative levels of social welfare. It is not only about quantity, but also about quality and equitable capacity.
That is, what is truly fundamental is not that there is a connected majority, but that each access to the internet is accompanied by new opportunities for citizens, as well as a more equitable reality in which a single country is identified. A single hyperconnected Mexico.
Text written by Radamés Camargo, from The Competitive Intelligence Unit S.C.
