Digital Inclusion for All

Much of the world still lacks basic Internet access. According to ITU statistics, global Internet user penetration reached 30% in 2010, a milestone in penetration achieved in developed countries some nine years earlier, in 2001. Internet user penetration in the developing world as a whole, however, remains considerably lower, at just 21% in 2010, and was just 11% in Africa.

At present, millions of people cannot enjoy these benefits because access to broadband networks is limited or prohibitively expensive. Broadband subscriptions cost less than 2.5 % of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in the 40 most connected nations. But at the other end of the scale, in the 30 countries with the lowest level of broadband penetration, subscriptions cost over 100% of per capita GNI.

This is not just about exclusion from the latest news, gossip or amusing video content – it is about exclusion from critical infrastructure; from telemedicine and remote diagnosis; from the online wealth of educational information; from online services and applications which can improve the lives of millions. Broadband infrastructure cannot therefore only be for rich countries – or there is a risk of creating a new ‘broadband divide’. Everyone – wherever they live and whatever their means – needs and deserves equitable and affordable access to this infrastructure.