Figure 4 Distribution of internet shutdowns, SMC disruptions, and associated repair days by region, 2008–2020

internet shutdowns with substantial economic losses. Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, with only 12 percent of Africans having 5G access in 2023 against 74 percent of Europeans. reports on the "State of Internet Connectivity", and completed by manual Internet searches. The dataset is not exhaustive of all cable faults but records documented disruptions that effectively impaired Internet connectivity. SMC = Source: Cariolle,J. (2026). Digital Transformations in Developing Economies: From the First-mile Infrastructure to the End- user Fingertips. WIPO Economic Research Working Paper Series No. 96. Geneva: WIPO; data and calculation. Beyond the digital revolution: technology characteristics still shape adoption timelines. crops require long development periods and must be adapted to local soil, climate and pests. On average, it takes about 16.5 years from discovery to regulatory approval. Similarly, historical France, while direct reduced iron took a full six decades. Even solar photovoltaic (PV) needed more than half a century to reach a material market share. These differences reflect variations in modularity, capital intensity, infrastructure requirements, and regulatory frameworks, and provide caution against one-size-fits all policy approaches.