Objectives of the Group:

In the developing world, there is limited broadband connectivity in many hard-to-reach areas in Africa, Asia, South America and the Pacific Islands. Consequently, half the world is not online – that is 3.6 ​ billion people. In 2016, the ITU estimated that it would cost up to $450 billion to connect the next 1.5 billion people. Over the last three years, globally, network operators and other industry players have undertaken considerable efforts in expanding infrastructure. However, there are still around 1 billion people who are not cove​red by mobile broadband networks and another 2.7 billion who are within coverage range but are not accessing mobile internet services. The current average broadband penetration in Africa is approximately 30%, and the UN Broadband Commission’s ‘Moonshot for Africa’ Working Group estimates that, in Africa alone, it will cost about $100 billion to achieve ubiquitous broadband adoption by 2030. That estimate is to achieve broadband connectivity with 3G and 4G radio access networks

The funding is a crucial issue to address – both in terms of infrastructure and in terms of meaningful engagement with the Internet and digital economy where coverage is available.

The objective of the Working Group is to provide governments and policymakers with a set of policy recommendations for consideration to foster innovative funding, financing and investment strategies and which can enable and empower existing and new business models to achieve the Commission’s targets for broadband connectivity and adoption​.