Survey highlights the impact of smart connectivity on strategic sectors such as the economy and national security.
The transition from connectivity to connected intelligence represents a significant advancement with multiple and profound impacts, redefining even how countries build their digital competitiveness. This analysis is part of the article "How Connected Intelligence Will Redefine the Digital Competitiveness of Countries" from the Observing series, published by [publication name]. Softex Observatory, the entity's research and strategic intelligence unit, whose objectives include supporting the development of public policies for the ICT sector.
The content released in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world's leading connectivity event, indicates that Connected Intelligence not only expands network access, but also integrates infrastructure, data, and artificial intelligence into systems capable of learning, adapting, and generating strategic value.
Countries that treat digital infrastructure as a matter of state policy are able to transform connectivity into a competitive advantage, with direct impacts on efficiency, accelerated innovation, and crisis response capacity. The study emphasizes that fragmented and reactive approaches limit growth potential and digital sovereignty.
Coordination between different actors is essential.
According to the article, digital competitiveness is increasingly linked to strategic autonomy and national security. Global tensions such as technological dependence, digital supply chains, and geopolitical conflicts involving sensitive data reinforce the need to develop robust connected infrastructure aligned with strategic objectives.
In this context, the regulatory agenda can be an accelerating or hindering factor. The State plays multiple roles: regulator, inducer, and strategic user. International models offer valuable lessons, whether in market-oriented, state-oriented approaches, or in hybrid formats that balance interoperability, ecosystems, and capabilities.
For emerging countries, the risk is the exclusion of intelligence, not just connectivity. The opportunities lie in public policies that enable technological leaps, integration into digital chains, and the building of local capabilities. Among the necessary conditions are a long-term vision, coordinated investments, talent development, and robust governance. Without these elements, digital competitiveness can become fragile and dependent on external actors, compromising national sovereignty.
Connected intelligence should be a national project.
The study also emphasizes that coordination between different actors is indispensable. Governments, Telcos, big tech companies, startups, universities, and research centers play complementary roles. Telcos evolve into enablers of platforms and trust; big tech companies offer critical infrastructure such as cloud and GPUs; startups accelerate use cases; universities secure talent and legitimacy; and think tanks provide strategic intelligence and evidence for public policy. This articulation is what transforms connected intelligence into a national project and not just an isolated initiative.
The content of the Softex Observatory makes it clear that connected intelligence should be seen as a national project, capable of redefining digital competitiveness and the international positioning of countries. “Success in overcoming this challenge depends on the development and implementation of an integrated, long-term strategy that brings together and aligns infrastructure, regulation, ecosystems, and digital sovereignty,” explains Rayanny Nunes, Coordinator of Intelligence and Solutions Design at Softex.
The full article “How Connected Intelligence Will Redefine the Digital Competitiveness of Countries” can be accessed for free at the following address: https://observatorio.softex.br/artigos/
