https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00508-8
Research
Bridging the digital divide: mapping Internet connectivity evolution, inequalities, and resilience in six Brazilian cities
1
ISI Foundation, Turin, Italy
2
The World Bank Group, Washington, D.C., USA
3
School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
4
The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
Received:
5
July
2024
Accepted:
4
November
2024
Published online:
8
November
2024
We investigate the evolution of Internet speed and its implications for access to key digital services, as well as the resilience of the network during crises, focusing on six major Brazilian cities: Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Fortaleza, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Leveraging a unique dataset of Internet Speedtest® results provided by Ookla®, we analyze Internet speed trends from 2017 to 2023. Our findings reveal significant improvements in Internet speed across all cities. However, we find that prosperous areas generally exhibit better Internet access, and that the dependence of Internet quality on wealth have increased over time. Additionally, we investigate the impact of Internet quality on access to critical online services, focusing on e-learning. Our analysis shows that nearly 13% of catchment areas around educational facilities have Internet speeds below the threshold required for e-learning, with disadvantaged areas experiencing more significant challenges. Moreover, we investigate the network’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding a sharp decline in network quality following the declaration of national emergency. We also find that less wealthy areas experience larger drops in network quality during crises. Overall, this study underscores the importance of addressing disparities in Internet access to ensure equitable digital services and enhance network resilience during crises.
Key words: Internet speed evolution / Digital inequality / Socioeconomic disparities / Digital services access
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-024-00508-8.
© The Author(s) 2024
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