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The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to small businesses, but a silver lining emerged amidst the shuttering of storefronts: a clearer understanding of the types of support small businesses need to survive, grow and compete in today’s digital economy

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The researchers assessed countries’ digital preparedness on three
 measures:

<ul>
 <li>
 The availability of robust platforms for business continuity, like remote
 work, e-commerce and digital media advertising,
 </li>
 <li>How prepared they are for internet traffic surges and</li>
 <li>The extent of digital payments options for commerce</li>
</ul>

 All results are preliminary, but can guide countries with lessons and
 approaches from other places as they prepare their economies to emerge from
 this global pandemic.&nbsp;

The standard-setters

 Of the 42 countries analyzed, Singapore and the Netherlands are most prepared
 for a digital onslaught. Yet, ironically, their social distancing policies for
 work have not been as stringent as other countries’. Canada and Germany are
 close behind in readiness. As countries go through what will likely be
 multiple sequences of the&nbsp;<a
 href="https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-the-hammer-and-the-dance-be9337092b56"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 style="font-size: 16px;"
 >hammer and the dance</a
 >&nbsp;in combating the coronavirus, these countries are best positioned to
 work remotely through it all.


 If anything, the current crisis has shown that digital infrastructure is no
 longer a luxury, but rather an essential utility much like water and
 electricity.

U.S.: Congestion in the last mile

 The U.S., for now, is handling the 20-25 percent uptick in internet traffic,
 but it must prepare for more surges and continued use, especially in the “last
 mile” of the metaphorical pipeline--into people’s homes, especially in rural
 areas. Broadband access in America is among the&nbsp;<a
 href="http://www.oecd.org/sti/broadband/broadband-statistics/"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 style="font-size: 16px;"
 >most expensive</a
 >&nbsp;in the world and it is not evenly shared.

Europe: Short on bandwidth

 Internet speeds in Europe are on average slower and the infrastructure is
 older than in other regions. Southern Europe, including hard-hit Italy, is
 particularly vulnerable. To ensure the Internet continues to function
 smoothly, high-bandwidth services will need to be cut back.


 Sweden stands out as having some of the continent’s most robust digital
 platforms and transactions, though it is vulnerable to traffic surges. At the
 same time, however, its social distancing policies have been less restrictive
 than many countries, thus fewer workers are likely working from home to cause
 those surges.

Pioneering cutting-edge technologies

 Singapore, South Korea and China have lightning fast internet, robust business
 platforms and wide use of digital money—and they also use apps to find and
 trace coronavirus cases. Technology companies in the West have now begun
 adapting these innovations while maintaining strong protections around user
 privacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;


 Continued investments in digital infrastructure are needed to increase
 resilience to economic shocks and help countries compete in the global
 economy that emerges after this pandemic.


 China began the pandemic as the least digitally resilient of the three
 countries, but pioneered in its use of cluster digital technologies, including
 artificial intelligence, location tracking, facial recognition and drones. Its
 investment could serve as a competitive advantage in the digitally-enabled
 global economy going forward.

A gap between rich and poor countries

 Unsurprisingly, developing countries are the most fragile in all three
 measures – access, preparedness and digital payments.&nbsp;If anything, the
 current crisis has shown that digital infrastructure is no longer a luxury,
 but rather an essential utility much like water and electricity. With adequate
 digital infrastructure, countries such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines
 and Indonesia—collectively home to more than 2 billion people—could be better
 prepared for any future disasters.&nbsp;&nbsp;


 Even before the pandemic, digital infrastructure was leaping ahead in some
 countries and lagging behind in others. The crisis has underscored how this
 critical infrastructure can ease communication, promote lifesaving
 collaboration among scientists, allow for continued work in some industries
 and get money into the bank accounts of those in need.&nbsp;Continued
 investments in digital infrastructure are needed to increase resilience to
 economic shocks and help countries compete in the global economy that emerges
 after this pandemic.


 Read the initial insights published in&nbsp;<a
 href="https://hbr.org/2020/04/which-countries-were-and-werent-ready-for-remote-work"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 target="_blank"
 style="font-size: 16px;"
 >Harvard Business Review</a
 >.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pQOO42fIFhk?si=O4Gh469q0csydcG5" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A new analysis gauges countries’ digital readiness

As businesses and governments worldwide scramble to adjust to social distancing, they are often turning to online tools, from webinar platforms to digital payments to social media for advertising. But as a new analysis from The Fletcher School at Tufts University shows, not all countries are ready for this new normal. Like the many other disparities laid bare by this pandemic, the digital divide is quickly becoming apparent.
If the world is to continue to work while maintaining social distancing, countries must prioritize a robust digital infrastructure. To gauge digital preparedness, researchers at the Fletcher School <a href="https://sites.tufts.edu/digitalplanet/how-countries-around-the-world-are-prepared-to-work-in-a-socially-distant-mode-using-digital-technologies/" target="_blank">evaluated how ready 42 countries were to return to work</a> while maintaining social distancing guidelines. The initial insights are the first to come out of a new three-year initiative “IDEA 2030: Imagining a Digital Economy for All,” launched in partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

How Ready is the World to Work While Still Social Distancing?