Mobile technology as a resource for accessing information during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A case study in Panama

The global COVID-19 pandemic, announced in early 2020, had a significant impact on the lives of all human beings worldwide, giving rise to a series of consequences stemming from this situation. In Panama, as in the majority of countries, the decision was made to implement a national lockdown, which led to a considerable increase in the use of mobile technology by the population. This circumstance turned out to be an invaluable tool for the nation’s digital transformation. During the years 2020,2021, and part of 2022, telecommunications companies and the Public Services Authority (ASEP) reported a remarkable increase in the use of these technologies, both in urban and rural areas. However, this increase has also highlighted the existence of a clear inequality in access to these technologies in the educational sphere of the technological sector. This article thoroughly analyzes, through examples and percentages extracted from statistical studies, how this increase in technology access occurred and how these technologies contributed to the country effectively facing the consequences of COVID-19 and lockdown measures.