Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Broadband is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It plays a vital role in improving global sustainable development by supporting the provision of basic needs such as education and healthcare, helping to lift people out of poverty through e-commerce and job growth, monitoring climate change and planetary processes, and bridging the digital gender divide. But in order to achieve these ambitious goals, we must ensure that broadband is rolled out to include the 4.2 billion people around the world who are offline today. Yet, affordability and access remain key barriers, leaving billions of people unable to benefit from its potential to boost economic growth and development.

The International Telecommunication Union/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Digital Development’s latest State of Broadband report calls for the universal adoption of broadband-friendly practices and policies, so that everyone can take advantage of the benefits offered by broadband.

The report seeks to answer a number of questions, which can help us realize the potential of universal broadband connectivity. It contains featured insights from thought leaders and case-studies that can help to answer the ever pressing question: How best to connect everyone? Today, there are around 9 billion connected devices, which ITU forecasts could reach 25 billion connected devices by 2020 (ITU 2012).

To help ensure the vision of the ‘Internet of Things’ becomes a reality, it is vital to ensure affordability and create the necessary supportive ecosystem, including: a conducive regulatory environment; reduced disparities in access, speed, and functionality; improved availability of spectrum at reasonable cost; affordable devices; more local language content; and a range of new apps.

Mobile broadband service is not simply about giving people access to search engines and social networks. Universal broadband is about enabling mobile solutions that can change entire sectors, such as in the field of e-health. Here, mobile solutions are connecting doctors and patients through wireless devices such as heart monitors and enabling elderly people to live at home, self-sufficiently, for longer. While availability and affordability gaps affect people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America disproportionately, innovations in broadband are helping the world’s poor bridge the digital divide and are contributing to economic, social and cultural development. When considering the challenge of reaching the next billion broadband users, despite the challenges and the overwhelming and increasing scale of demand, the socio-economic benefits of mobile and broadband services remain clear.