Connecting the Next 1.5 Billion: Making the Connection Between Spectrum and Innovation

There are roughly 4 billion people around the world who are still ‘offline’, unable to access and participate in the Information Society. The International Telecommunication Union has embarked on an ambitious task – to connect the next 1.5 billion people to the Internet by 2020.

The goal comes as part of a wider vision for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, dubbed Connect 2020, developed as part of the 2016-2019 ITU Strategic Plan, with goals and measurable targets representing the change that the Union wants to see achieved by 2020. Under ITU Goal no.1 “Growth -- enable and foster access to and increased use of telecommunications/ICTs”, ITU membership aims to foster growth in the use of ICTs and create a positive impact on socio-economic development. The ITU is committed to working together and collaborating with all stakeholders in the ICT ecosystem in order to achieve this goal.