Sustained ICT investment in all industries is crucial to future economic resilience In 2020, ICT infrastructure played a crucial role
in global efforts to combat the coronavirus and
reopen the economy. According to Huawei’s Global
Connectivity Index (GCI) 2020, digital transformation
of industries will help economies develop “high-order”
productivity to spur economic recovery and increase
future competitiveness. If we compare countries based
on their pre-pandemic GDP per capita forecasts and
their revised forecasts after the pandemic hit, it’s clear
that GDP forecast decline is lower in countries with
more advanced ICT infrastructure (higher GCI scores).
The pandemic has also brought ICT to the forefront as
a critical enabler of business continuity. The GCI 2020
report revealed that leading global organizations are
well aware of the value of digital infrastructure for
economic resilience, and are continuing to invest in
IT despite the overall decline in business investment
during the pandemic.