ANALYSIS

Companies should use the legal alternative of suspending employment contracts which can be done at zero cost, argues PABLO MITOGO. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have been overwhelmed and the health systems of the most powerful countries have collapsed. The wave of chaos has also reached companies, especially in small economies such as Equatorial Guinea. Many companies have seen their volume of activity decrease drastically, with subsequent cost reductions. The question remains how does a company reduce costs without drowning the company? In recent months we have seen...

5G offers incredible possibilities to power the fourth industrial revolution, says NOKIA. We all know 5G will bring lightning-fast mobile broadband. But the phone is the least exciting piece of the story. 5G will provide the connectivity for the fourth industrial revolution which will completely alter the way we live, work and play. 5G will also make it a sustainable revolution. Fourth industrial revolution and mobile connectivity Characterized by computing and the internet, the third industrial revolution profoundly impacted services businesses such as banking and the media. But industries with...

JOSH ARONER explains what’s behind 5G’s rapid uptake, how the real promise is for the enterprise, when we will start to feel the benefits and what needs to happen for the promise of 5G to become reality. In name it may feel like just one small step from 4G. But the fifth generation of cellular networks is much more than blazing fast mobile broadband. Research by Nokia Bell Labs in 2020 found that 5G has the potential to contribute US$8 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with industries as diverse...

“The vaccines are here!”—the cry heard and welcomed the world over—has boosted hopes of a global economic recovery in 2021. Yet until vaccines are widely available, the market rally and the economic recovery rest on continued monetary and fiscal policy support, write TOBIAS ADRIAN and FABIO NATALUCCI. Financial stability risks have been in check so far, but we cannot take this for granted. Prices for stocks, corporate bonds, and other risk assets have risen higher on the news of vaccine rollouts. Financial markets have shrugged off rising COVID-19 cases, betting...