Luxury to essential: Latam boosts Internet access in pandemic

A file photo of man on his Russian-made Ural motorbike as he checks the Internet at a hotspot in Havana, Cuba. The pandemic has highlighted the stark digital divide between rural and urban areas, but also between city dwellers in affluent neighbourhoods and those living in slums, Doyle said. — Reuters

BOGOTA/RIO DE JANEIRO: Huddled over a red tablet on loan from their school, Mercedes Ortiz’ two children study from their home in a hillside slum outside Bogota – a novelty for the family after several Covid-19 lockdowns without Internet access or tech devices.

“With schools closed for the year, my son and daughter have missed out on their education as I only have Internet access on my mobile phone when I have data,” said Ortiz, a Venezuelan migrant who came to the Colombian capital three years ago.