GAFA’s Information Infrastructure Distribution: Implications for the Global South

Abstract

We address the implications of GAFA’s choice of points of interconnection in the global North versus the global South to understand the degree to which the global South is underserved, if at all. We find that more than twice as many countries in the global South have no GAFA presence at all than countries in the global North. Apple has approximately 92% of its points of interconnection in the North, followed by Amazon (82.5%), Facebook (73%), and Google (72%). We assert that regulatory authorities investigate the information infrastructure to understand the implications of GAFA’s market concentration at a global level.

Keywords: GAFA, content delivery networks, internet exchange points, information infrastructure, global South

JEL Classification: K21