Ecuador
Recent trends
In the last decade, Ecuador has made efforts to enhance digital access and use for all. The share of Internet users as well as active mobile broadband and fixed broadband subscriptions have considerably increased in during this period. In particular, active mobile broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) increased from 8.8 in 2008 to 54.7 in 2018 but remained below the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) average (73.5) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average (103.6). Perceived e-commerce safety and trust in online privacy are above LAC and OECD averages.
Ecuador’s performance in enabling digital innovation showed mixed results in the last decade. High-technology exports as a share of total manufactured exports increased from 5.0% in 2008 to 5.3% in 2018 but remain below averages in LAC (8.6%) and the OECD (15.1%). Further efforts are needed for the digital transformation of government. Ecuador is among the underperformers in LAC for open government data policies in the OECD OURdata Index. Similarly, the country ranks below LAC and OECD averages in the E-Government Development Index (EGDI).
National strategies and international co-operation for digital transformation
The 2017-21 Toda una Vida (A lifetime) national development plan (NDP) and Política Ecuador Digital (Digital Ecuador Policy) are the main references for the development and digital transformation of the country. The NDP focuses on three main objectives: universal rights, economy at the service of society, and better institutions. The Digital Ecuador Policy is based on three axes: connectivity; efficiency and security of information; and innovation and competitiveness. The first axis aims to expand telecommunications service coverage and migrate to higher speed networks. The second aims to guarantee citizen participation, democratic public services, simplified transactions, efficient public management, access to and use of open data and information and data security. The third aims to turn Ecuador into a model of innovation and competitiveness in the region through the development of smart cities, the digital transformation of firms and the creation of a National Strategy for E-Commerce.
The Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society is developing strategic projects related to the three axes. Cheaper Internet will increase telecommunications coverage and benefit poor households with preferential tariffs. Digital Social Fingerprint will improve public services by providing public institution information on an integrated digital platform. Ecuador is also working on a National Cybersecurity Strategy. Last, a project to include ICT in education curricula will help develop the computational thinking and digital skills needed to achieve innovation and competitiveness. To mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19), the government agreed with the telecommunications industry to increase the data provided to mobile service users and expand landline bandwidth at no extra cost, to meet the growing demand for networks. The Ministry of Telecommunications also assigned a phone number for up-to-date pandemic information, including testing locations and telemedicine information (CAF, 2020).
In terms of international co-operation, Ecuador received bilateral technical support from Brazil for the implementation of terrestrial digital television, following the Japanese-Brazilian model. As part of a triangular co-operation project, Ecuador and Germany shared their e-government experiences with El Salvador. Ecuador also participated in the European Union-backed MAGIC project (2015-17) to streamline global scientific and academic collaboration. Programmes to boost knowledge sharing, training and access to e-infrastructure were among its main achievements. The country also forms part of the Cyber Resilience for Development, a European Union project designed to promote cyber-resilience and digital security in order to protect public and private enterprises across the globe.
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