Research evidence indicates that telecommunications technology is a critical contributor to help mitigate the disruptive social and economic impact of pandemics and other crises. As such, since Wi-Fi technology is a critical component of a country’s digital infrastructure, it is reasonable to state that Wi-Fi technology fulfil ls a critical role in helping societies deal with economic disruption from emergencies such as COVID-19.
Among some of the most important areas of impact, Wi-Fi has been shown to deliver critical contributions in several domains, namely:
• Providing Internet access through free access points to consumers that cannot afford to purchase broadband service
• Supporting efficient simultaneous access of multiple devices for distance learning, tele commuting, telemedicine, and information distribution
• Reducing consumer wireless expenditures, even while consumer reliance on wireless devices increases
• Providing internet access for broadband in unserved communities through WISPs
• Enabling digital transformation of businesses by supporting virtualization of business processes
Not only is Wi-Fi key to economic resiliency, from a social perspective Wi-Fi is a critical enabler in the delivery of online social, education, and work collaboration tools. Wi-Fi support for working from home enables families to stay safe while continuing to contribute to the economy. Wi-Fi has also proven key in limiting the impact of social isolation resulting from emergencies like COVID-19 - for individuals and families, including populations in healthcare and elderly care facilities.
For more at: http://www.teleadvs.com/wp-content/uploads/COVID-19-AND-THE-ECONOMIC-VALUE-OF-WI-FI.pdf
