The State of Broadband 2018: Broadband Catalyzing Sustainable Development

A growing number of governments now benchmark the status of broadband in their national broadband plans. The report shows for the first time that at least 15 countries now have strategies in place for promoting the safe use of Artificial Intelligence. The report highlights the critical role that broadband connectivity plays for the world's people, from accessing online health services to receiving social security payments via mobile phones to receiving life-saving disaster warnings. To boost broadband, the Broadband Commission recommends: building national leadership for broadband; promoting Internet training and stimulating consumer and business demand; monitoring ICT developments to inform policy; reviewing universal service measures; strengthening digital skills and literacy; supporting local eBusinesses and entrepreneurs; adapting legal frameworks; and reducing taxes and duties on telecom products and services. While the report demonstrates the value of Internet connectivity in today's increasingly digital world, it also raises concerns for the growing inequalities in access to broadband and how connectivity is used within and between countries, sexes and regions. 

The report provides a global snapshot of broadband network access and affordability, with country-by-country data measuring broadband access against the Broadband Commission's seven advocacy targets. It also highlights the impact of rapidly evolving communication and information technologies (ICTs), including the implications of emerging trends like the Internet of Things, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. Advances in mobile broadband (such as 4G and 5G) and next-generation satellite technologies will mean the delivery of digital services more quickly and reliably, with implications for the future of agriculture, climate, disaster relief, education, health and transportation.