5G Emergence In The Global South: Challenges And Policies To Overcome The Digital Infrastructure Gap

Since 2016 G20 has focused on digital connectivity as an economic prosperity driver and the overcoming of multiple social inequalities. Currently, 5G is playing a prominent role in foreign policy, productive and science, technology and innovation (STI) agendas of Global North. Full deployment of 5G will imply improvements in bandwidth, speed and latency enabling the emergence of new Internet of Things business models involving massive data exchange. The shaping and property of network infrastructure, production capabilities, STI linkages, patents, standards and market regulations will directly affect Global South, which is making progress in the matter in spite of geopolitical, domestic and financial constraints. Alternatives for Global South countries to ride this wave are not black or white (subordination or exclusion): mixed strategies can be implemented, involving complementary targets and efforts between public and private stakeholders. The cases of India, Brazil and Argentina indicate that Global South countries hold assets (market size, accumulated capabilities, territorial enclave) to negotiate better terms for technology transfer and financing, nodes in telecommunications value chains, training of human resources, local R&D efforts. The main objective of the recommended policies is to accelerate 5G deployment in Global South promoting a multi-actor/hybrid network strategy tending to reduce regional infrastructure gaps -global and internal- by stimulating domestic capabilities. G20 can play an important role in turning 5G deployment into a window of opportunity for Global South catch-up by pushing certain policy initiatives oriented to STI systemic consolidation, harnessing the involvement of global actors, support domestic actors to reduce connectivity gap and encourage the development of downstream digital technologies, increase South-South and North-South international cooperation efforts.