Telefónica reinforces its position as a world leader in digital inclusion according to the Digital Inclusion Benchmark (DIB), once again taking first place in the ranking conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), which analyses how the most influential technology companies help to promote a more inclusive digital economy and society.
Telefónica scored 85.2 points out of 100, with a clear margin over the next 200 most influential technology companies in 39 economies, making it the world’s top-ranked ICT company in digital inclusion due to its efforts in cybersecurity, privacy and responsible use of technology by children, says the DIB. The Alliance adds that “the company goes further by committing to a time-bound goal to incorporate accessible design principles into all of its products and services”.
“Digital inclusion gives meaning to our efforts to deploy connectivity and reach out to all places, including rural areas, but it involves much more. Also means training in digital skills and offering accessible and secure digital solutions. Our goal is to bring technology closer to people so that they can benefit from all the opportunities that digitalisation offers and thus build fairer, more prosperous and sustainable societies,” explains Elena Valderrábano, Global Chief Sustainability (ESG) Officer at Telefónica.
Telefónica, which obtains the highest score in all indicators, according to the DIB, also earns this first place for its training programmes in digital skills, its support for start-ups with open innovation programmes, the dissemination of its ethical principles on Artificial Intelligence, and also for its transparency in its Consolidated Management Report in accordance with international standards.
Similarly, the DIB emphasises the results obtained by Telefónica in the new social indicators introduced, highlighting its commitments and practices in the area of human rights, promoting gender equality and preventing bribery and corruption.
The DIB analyses five aspects that are decisive in ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital revolution: access to Internet communications and services from anywhere; knowledge and skills to use technology, responsible use and security of digital services, innovation, and finally, and introduced this year, strategic social indicators such as respect for human rights, ethics and decent work, which adds a more complete view of the policies, processes and performance of each entity.
The WBA, an independent organisation created in 2018 and backed by an alliance of more than 200 organisations, aims to measure business impact to stimulate action for a sustainable future for all. As digital technology can be a powerful enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the DIB acts as a benchmark to shed light on the reality of corporate impact in this area.
