3

TABLE OF CONTENTS1. A2010DeclarationofBroadbandInclusionforAll

2. ExecutiveSummary-A2010LeadershipImperative:TowardsaFuture BuiltonBroadband

3. CreatingaBroadbandDevelopmentDynamic:AStrategicFramework forAction

3.1 Policy:FromClearPolicyLeadershiptoanEnablingEnvironment 3.2 Infrastructure:InvestinginInfrastructurefortheFuture 3.3 Technology:Future-proofingTechnology 3.4 Innovation:TheChangingFaceofInnovation 3.5 ContentandApplications:TheGrowingImportanceofContent andApplications 3.6 People:BuildingtheNetworkofIdeasandInformation 3.7 Government:Governmenttakestheleadincreatingdemand4. BroadbandandtheInterlinkedandInterdependentMDGAgenda

5. BroadbandandBeyondtheMDGs

6. RecommendationsandProposedPlanofAction

AcknowledgementsDISCLAIMER

ThisReportdoesnotnecessarilyrepresenttheopinionsoftheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU)ortheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO)ortheirrespectiveMemberStates,SectorMembers,AssociatesandSecretariat.

Theviewsof theCommissioners reflected in theReportarepersonalanddonotentailanyresponsibilityfortheirrespectiveAdministrationsortheOrganizationstowhichtheyareelectedorassociatedwithorofwhichtheyarestaffmembers.

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS1. A2010DeclarationofBroadbandInclusionforAll

2. ExecutiveSummary-A2010LeadershipImperative:TowardsaFuture BuiltonBroadband

3. CreatingaBroadbandDevelopmentDynamic:AStrategicFramework forAction

3.1 Policy:FromClearPolicyLeadershiptoanEnablingEnvironment 3.2 Infrastructure:InvestinginInfrastructurefortheFuture 3.3 Technology:Future-proofingTechnology 3.4 Innovation:TheChangingFaceofInnovation 3.5 ContentandApplications:TheGrowingImportanceofContent andApplications 3.6 People:BuildingtheNetworkofIdeasandInformation 3.7 Government:Governmenttakestheleadincreatingdemand4. BroadbandandtheInterlinkedandInterdependentMDGAgenda

5. BroadbandandBeyondtheMDGs

6. RecommendationsandProposedPlanofAction

AcknowledgementsDISCLAIMER

ThisReportdoesnotnecessarilyrepresenttheopinionsoftheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU)ortheUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO)ortheirrespectiveMemberStates,SectorMembers,AssociatesandSecretariat.

Theviewsof theCommissioners reflected in theReportarepersonalanddonotentailanyresponsibilityfortheirrespectiveAdministrationsortheOrganizationstowhichtheyareelectedorassociatedwithorofwhichtheyarestaffmembers.

51A 2010 DECLArATiON OF BrOADBAND iNCLuSiON FOr ALL

New York, September 19, 2010

We, the members of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, address this Declaration to the world leaders attending the 2010 MDG Summit at United Nations Headquarters.

We call upon you to embrace a commonleadership vision that has profoundimplications for the acceleratedachievementoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)bytheinternationally-agreeddeadline of 2015. That common vision isbroadband inclusion for all. It is a visionthat embodies effective and sustainablesolutions to the great global challengesof the 21st Century in poverty, health,education,genderequality,climatechangeand the seismic demographic shifts inyouthandageingpopulations.

We believe that the Internet andother information and communicationtechnologies(ICTs)shouldbeusedforthebenefitofallmankind.Beyondanyphysicalor virtual infrastructure that has precededitintheindustrialrevolutionorinformationage,andasacatalystandcriticalenablerfor recovery in the wake of the recenteconomicslowdown,broadbandwillbethebasis for digital invention and innovationand the foundation for digital and otherinvestmentsthatlieattheveryheartofoursharedknowledgeeconomyandsociety.

We firmly believe that with the strategicandinnovativeuseofbroadbandICTs,theinternational development community canmovebeyond‘businessasusual’andthatitwillbepossibletoachievetheinherentlyinterlinkedMDGagendaby2015toaddresstheexistingandemergingglobalchallengesofthe21stCentury.

Put plainly, we believe the models ofthe mobile and Internet revolutions cantransform global development and havefundamentally thrived because they arebottom-up,market-ledmodels.Byforginga common vision and understanding oftheneedsandrequirementsforubiquitousandhighercapacityaccesstotheInternet,governmentshavetodayanunprecedentedopportunity to unleash the creativityand inventiveness of their citizens andindustries to innovateand invest inhealthand education. Although broadband is ameanstoanend,andnotanendinitself,ICTs and broadband can help generatejobs, growth, productivity and, ultimately,long-termeconomiccompetitiveness.

Timing is everything. In September 2000,when the historic Millennium Declaration was agreed by 189 UN Member States,

51A 2010 DECLArATiON OF BrOADBAND iNCLuSiON FOr ALL

New York, September 19, 2010

We, the members of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, address this Declaration to the world leaders attending the 2010 MDG Summit at United Nations Headquarters.

We call upon you to embrace a commonleadership vision that has profoundimplications for the acceleratedachievementoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)bytheinternationally-agreeddeadline of 2015. That common vision isbroadband inclusion for all. It is a visionthat embodies effective and sustainablesolutions to the great global challengesof the 21st Century in poverty, health,education,genderequality,climatechangeand the seismic demographic shifts inyouthandageingpopulations.

We believe that the Internet andother information and communicationtechnologies(ICTs)shouldbeusedforthebenefitofallmankind.Beyondanyphysicalor virtual infrastructure that has precededitintheindustrialrevolutionorinformationage,andasacatalystandcriticalenablerfor recovery in the wake of the recenteconomicslowdown,broadbandwillbethebasis for digital invention and innovationand the foundation for digital and otherinvestmentsthatlieattheveryheartofoursharedknowledgeeconomyandsociety.

We firmly believe that with the strategicandinnovativeuseofbroadbandICTs,theinternational development community canmovebeyond‘businessasusual’andthatitwillbepossibletoachievetheinherentlyinterlinkedMDGagendaby2015toaddresstheexistingandemergingglobalchallengesofthe21stCentury.

Put plainly, we believe the models ofthe mobile and Internet revolutions cantransform global development and havefundamentally thrived because they arebottom-up,market-ledmodels.Byforginga common vision and understanding oftheneedsandrequirementsforubiquitousandhighercapacityaccesstotheInternet,governmentshavetodayanunprecedentedopportunity to unleash the creativityand inventiveness of their citizens andindustries to innovateand invest inhealthand education. Although broadband is ameanstoanend,andnotanendinitself,ICTs and broadband can help generatejobs, growth, productivity and, ultimately,long-termeconomiccompetitiveness.

Timing is everything. In September 2000,when the historic Millennium Declaration was agreed by 189 UN Member States,

6 7there were some 740 million mobilecellular subscriptions and nearly 400million Internetusersworldwide. In2010,therearemorethan5billionmobilecellularsubscriptionsandover1.8billionInternetusersaccordingtoITU’smostrecentdata,withthemajoritylocatedinthedevelopingworld.Itisnowhightimetotakethenextgreat digital leap forward toward ourbroadbandfuture.

The implications are enormous.International estimates suggest that forevery10per cent increase inbroadbandpenetrationwecanexpectanaverageof1.3percentadditionalgrowth innationalgross domestic product (GDP), and weconcur with OECD findings that justifyrapid broadband roll-out in all OECDmembercountries. ITUestimates thatby2015 at least half the world’s populationshouldhaveaccesstobroadbandcontentandcommunication.

We believe that broadband inclusion forallwill representamomentouseconomicand social change commensurate withthe veryproblems that theMDGsaim tosolve,andthat itwillbeagame-changerin addressing rising healthcare costs,delivering digital education for all, andmitigating the effects of climate change.Already, we see the transformationalprogress which digital inclusion offers toyouth,women,theelderlyandpeoplewithmentalandphysicaldisabilitiesinrichandpoorcountriesalike.

We strongly believe that getting thebroadbandpolicyandinvestmentmixrightrequires coherent andconcertedpoliticalwill and leadership from the top as wellas grassroots support. Critically, this willrequireanewlyproactiveandprogressiveapproach to creating an enabling

environment for broadband inclusion forallvia theconvergentand interdependentforcesofpolicy,infrastructure,technology,innovation, content and applications,peopleandgovernment.

While local conditions vary, there aresome similarities in the issues affectingdeveloped and developing countries andinthesolutionstothoseissues–includingenlightened political leadership, sharedresponsibilityforasharedresourceandtheneed to create a regulatory environmentconducivetoinvestmentandinnovation.

We urge national governments not tolimit market entry nor tax broadbandunnecessarily to enable the market toachieveitsfullgrowthpotential;toradicallyrethink the availability of adequate radiofrequencyspectruminthebroadbandera;andtoadheretotheguidingprinciplesoffaircompetition topromoteaccess toall,including fair licensingprocedures.At theinternational level, coordinated standardsforinteroperabilitymustbeestablishedthatcangrowmarketsindevices,networksandsoftware througheconomiesofscaleandsignificantlyincreasedusersatisfaction.

While broadband infrastructure is crucial,we urge world leaders to recognize thatconnectivityandcontentgohandinhand.Therefore, it is essential thatweexamineways to develop local content andapplications in order to serve the MDGsand other key development priorities.Promoting access to education, healthservices, agricultural and environmentalinformation should thus become anintegralpartofthestrategicdeploymentofbroadbandinfrastructure.

We affirm that in order to realize its fullpotential, broadband must be anchoredaround the concept of knowledgesocieties, including principles of freedomof expression, quality education for all,universal access to information andknowledgeofandrespectforculturalandlinguisticdiversity.Equitableandaffordableuniversal access to broadband networksand broadband-enabled applicationsare the key for the delivery of onlinepublicgoodsandservices,thesharingofscientific information, the strengtheningof social cohesion and the promotion ofculturaldiversity.

Digital literacyande-skills should remaina key preoccupation of governmentsand business.We encourage all to seizethe opportunity in developing further themultilingualInternetbybuildingontherecentdeployment of the first internationalizeddomain names. Preservation of culturaldiversityandpromotionofmultilingualismincyber-spacewillhaveapositiveimpactongrowthinthenumberofInternetusersaroundtheglobe.

Trust and confidence are prerequisites.Webelieve that recognition isneededbyall relevant stakeholders that, in a digitaleconomy,theunprecedentedopportunitiesaffordedbyflowsofideasandinformationand almost limitless access to content,culture,knowledgeandapplications,poseimmense challenges for existing nationalandinternationalrulesandregulations.

Asbroadbandusage increases, issuesofonlineprivacy,confidentialityandsecurityare becoming more important and mustbe addressed at the national, regionaland international levels. This will requirethe development of technical solutionsas well as education, awareness-raising

andtheestablishmentofrelatedlawsandregulations. At the same time, a globalcooperative framework is needed asthese issuesoftenextend farbeyond theboundariesofindividualnationsorsectors.

Digital creators are entitled to faircompensation. Digital networks have ledtounprecedentedlevelsofcontentpiracythat will be further exacerbated in thebroadband era. Newmodels are neededfor the remuneration of content creators,distributors and network operators –models that are best developed throughpartnership and consensus betweenpolicy-makersandindustry.

We therefore make a clarion call for‘Broadband Inclusion for All’: for globalleadership from the top and a ground-swellofsupportinshapingthebroadbandfuturethroughthedeploymentofNationalBroadband Plans, and for full-scalerecognitioninpolicy-makingoftechnology,innovation and private sector investmentasthecriticalenablersoftheinternationaldevelopmentagendaanddevelopmentinthe21stCentury.

WiththisDeclaration,wesubmittoyouourfinalReportoftheBroadband Commission for Digital Development to the UnitedNationsSecretary-General.Wedrawyourattention to the Recommendations andProposedPlanofActioncontainedthereinwithafullpledgeandcommitmentfromusalltocontinuetheworkoftheBroadband Commission for Digital Development until 2015 specifically in service of theacceleratedachievementoftheMDGs.

Broadband inclusion for all rests inthe hands of each and every oneof us – and it begins here with yourvisionandleadership.

6 7there were some 740 million mobilecellular subscriptions and nearly 400million Internetusersworldwide. In2010,therearemorethan5billionmobilecellularsubscriptionsandover1.8billionInternetusersaccordingtoITU’smostrecentdata,withthemajoritylocatedinthedevelopingworld.Itisnowhightimetotakethenextgreat digital leap forward toward ourbroadbandfuture.

The implications are enormous.International estimates suggest that forevery10per cent increase inbroadbandpenetrationwecanexpectanaverageof1.3percentadditionalgrowth innationalgross domestic product (GDP), and weconcur with OECD findings that justifyrapid broadband roll-out in all OECDmembercountries. ITUestimates thatby2015 at least half the world’s populationshouldhaveaccesstobroadbandcontentandcommunication.

We believe that broadband inclusion forallwill representamomentouseconomicand social change commensurate withthe veryproblems that theMDGsaim tosolve,andthat itwillbeagame-changerin addressing rising healthcare costs,delivering digital education for all, andmitigating the effects of climate change.Already, we see the transformationalprogress which digital inclusion offers toyouth,women,theelderlyandpeoplewithmentalandphysicaldisabilitiesinrichandpoorcountriesalike.

We strongly believe that getting thebroadbandpolicyandinvestmentmixrightrequires coherent andconcertedpoliticalwill and leadership from the top as wellas grassroots support. Critically, this willrequireanewlyproactiveandprogressiveapproach to creating an enabling

environment for broadband inclusion forallvia theconvergentand interdependentforcesofpolicy,infrastructure,technology,innovation, content and applications,peopleandgovernment.

While local conditions vary, there aresome similarities in the issues affectingdeveloped and developing countries andinthesolutionstothoseissues–includingenlightened political leadership, sharedresponsibilityforasharedresourceandtheneed to create a regulatory environmentconducivetoinvestmentandinnovation.

We urge national governments not tolimit market entry nor tax broadbandunnecessarily to enable the market toachieveitsfullgrowthpotential;toradicallyrethink the availability of adequate radiofrequencyspectruminthebroadbandera;andtoadheretotheguidingprinciplesoffaircompetition topromoteaccess toall,including fair licensingprocedures.At theinternational level, coordinated standardsforinteroperabilitymustbeestablishedthatcangrowmarketsindevices,networksandsoftware througheconomiesofscaleandsignificantlyincreasedusersatisfaction.

While broadband infrastructure is crucial,we urge world leaders to recognize thatconnectivityandcontentgohandinhand.Therefore, it is essential thatweexamineways to develop local content andapplications in order to serve the MDGsand other key development priorities.Promoting access to education, healthservices, agricultural and environmentalinformation should thus become anintegralpartofthestrategicdeploymentofbroadbandinfrastructure.

We affirm that in order to realize its fullpotential, broadband must be anchoredaround the concept of knowledgesocieties, including principles of freedomof expression, quality education for all,universal access to information andknowledgeofandrespectforculturalandlinguisticdiversity.Equitableandaffordableuniversal access to broadband networksand broadband-enabled applicationsare the key for the delivery of onlinepublicgoodsandservices,thesharingofscientific information, the strengtheningof social cohesion and the promotion ofculturaldiversity.

Digital literacyande-skills should remaina key preoccupation of governmentsand business.We encourage all to seizethe opportunity in developing further themultilingualInternetbybuildingontherecentdeployment of the first internationalizeddomain names. Preservation of culturaldiversityandpromotionofmultilingualismincyber-spacewillhaveapositiveimpactongrowthinthenumberofInternetusersaroundtheglobe.

Trust and confidence are prerequisites.Webelieve that recognition isneededbyall relevant stakeholders that, in a digitaleconomy,theunprecedentedopportunitiesaffordedbyflowsofideasandinformationand almost limitless access to content,culture,knowledgeandapplications,poseimmense challenges for existing nationalandinternationalrulesandregulations.

Asbroadbandusage increases, issuesofonlineprivacy,confidentialityandsecurityare becoming more important and mustbe addressed at the national, regionaland international levels. This will requirethe development of technical solutionsas well as education, awareness-raising

andtheestablishmentofrelatedlawsandregulations. At the same time, a globalcooperative framework is needed asthese issuesoftenextend farbeyond theboundariesofindividualnationsorsectors.

Digital creators are entitled to faircompensation. Digital networks have ledtounprecedentedlevelsofcontentpiracythat will be further exacerbated in thebroadband era. Newmodels are neededfor the remuneration of content creators,distributors and network operators –models that are best developed throughpartnership and consensus betweenpolicy-makersandindustry.

We therefore make a clarion call for‘Broadband Inclusion for All’: for globalleadership from the top and a ground-swellofsupportinshapingthebroadbandfuturethroughthedeploymentofNationalBroadband Plans, and for full-scalerecognitioninpolicy-makingoftechnology,innovation and private sector investmentasthecriticalenablersoftheinternationaldevelopmentagendaanddevelopmentinthe21stCentury.

WiththisDeclaration,wesubmittoyouourfinalReportoftheBroadband Commission for Digital Development to the UnitedNationsSecretary-General.Wedrawyourattention to the Recommendations andProposedPlanofActioncontainedthereinwithafullpledgeandcommitmentfromusalltocontinuetheworkoftheBroadband Commission for Digital Development until 2015 specifically in service of theacceleratedachievementoftheMDGs.

Broadband inclusion for all rests inthe hands of each and every oneof us – and it begins here with yourvisionandleadership.

8 9

H.E. Mr. PaUl KagaME

President of Rwanda

Mr. Carlos sliM HElú

Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso

Dr. HaMaDoUN i. ToUré

secretary-general, iTU

Ms. iriNa BoKova

Director-General, UNESCO

H.E. Prof. Dr. Ali M. AbbasovMinister of Communications and Information Technologies, Republic of Azerbaijan

Mr. César AliertaCEO, Telefónica

Mr. Orlando AyalaCorporate Vice President, Chairman Emerging MarketsMicrosoft Corporation

Sir Richard BransonFounder, Virgin Group

Ms. Kathy CalvinChief Executive Officer, United Nations Foundation

Dr. Vinton G. CerfVP and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

Mr. John T. ChambersChairman and CEO, Cisco Systems

Dr. Choi Soon-hongAssistant Secretary-General Chief Information Technology Officer, United Nations

Ms. Helen ClarkAdministrator, United Nations Development Programme

H.E. Senator Stephen ConroyMinister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Australia

CoMMissioNErsCo-CHairs

viCE-CHairs

8 9

H.E. Mr. PaUl KagaME

President of Rwanda

Mr. Carlos sliM HElú

Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso

Dr. HaMaDoUN i. ToUré

secretary-general, iTU

Ms. iriNa BoKova

Director-General, UNESCO

H.E. Prof. Dr. Ali M. AbbasovMinister of Communications and Information Technologies, Republic of Azerbaijan

Mr. César AliertaCEO, Telefónica

Mr. Orlando AyalaCorporate Vice President, Chairman Emerging MarketsMicrosoft Corporation

Sir Richard BransonFounder, Virgin Group

Ms. Kathy CalvinChief Executive Officer, United Nations Foundation

Dr. Vinton G. CerfVP and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google

Mr. John T. ChambersChairman and CEO, Cisco Systems

Dr. Choi Soon-hongAssistant Secretary-General Chief Information Technology Officer, United Nations

Ms. Helen ClarkAdministrator, United Nations Development Programme

H.E. Senator Stephen ConroyMinister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Australia

CoMMissioNErsCo-CHairs

viCE-CHairs

10 11

Mr. Julius Genachowski

Mr. Cheick Sidi Diarra

Mr. Amir Dossal

H.E. Mr. Ricardo Ehrlich

H.E. Ambassador Walter Fust

Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, United States

Under Secretary-General, United NationsSpecial Adviser on Africa and High Representative for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States

Executive Director, United Nations Office for Partnerships

Minister of Education and Culture, Uruguay

Former Director-General, Swiss Development Corporation

Ms. Ingrid DeltenreDirector General, European Broadcasting Union

Ms. Milagros Del CorralFormer Director General of the National Library of Spain

Mr. Angel GurríaSecretary-General, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Director General, World Intellectual Property OrganizationMr. Francis Gurry

Founder and Chairman, Mo Ibrahim FoundationMr. Mo Ibrahim

Mr. Yoshinori ImaiPresident, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting UnionExecutive Vice-President, NHK, Japan

H.E. Mr. Ivo IvanovskiMinister of Information Society, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Dr. Paul JacobsChairman and CEO, Qualcomm

Dr. A. Reza JafariChairman and CEO, E-Development International

Dr. Kim Seang-taePresident, National Information Society Agency, Republic of Korea

Ms. Neelie KroesVice President of the European CommissionCommissioner for the European Digital Agenda

Mr. Leong Keng Thai

H.E. Ms. Suvi Lindén

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal

Mr. Bruno Lanvin

Prof. Dr. Klaus M. Leisinger

Deputy Chief Executive and Director General (Telecoms and Post), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

Minister of Communications, Finland

Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Bharti Enterprises

Executive Director, eLab, INSEAD

President and Managing Director, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

Mr. Edouard DayanDirector-General, Universal Postal Union

10 11

Mr. Julius Genachowski

Mr. Cheick Sidi Diarra

Mr. Amir Dossal

H.E. Mr. Ricardo Ehrlich

H.E. Ambassador Walter Fust

Chairman, Federal Communications Commission, United States

Under Secretary-General, United NationsSpecial Adviser on Africa and High Representative for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States

Executive Director, United Nations Office for Partnerships

Minister of Education and Culture, Uruguay

Former Director-General, Swiss Development Corporation

Ms. Ingrid DeltenreDirector General, European Broadcasting Union

Ms. Milagros Del CorralFormer Director General of the National Library of Spain

Mr. Angel GurríaSecretary-General, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Director General, World Intellectual Property OrganizationMr. Francis Gurry

Founder and Chairman, Mo Ibrahim FoundationMr. Mo Ibrahim

Mr. Yoshinori ImaiPresident, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting UnionExecutive Vice-President, NHK, Japan

H.E. Mr. Ivo IvanovskiMinister of Information Society, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Dr. Paul JacobsChairman and CEO, Qualcomm

Dr. A. Reza JafariChairman and CEO, E-Development International

Dr. Kim Seang-taePresident, National Information Society Agency, Republic of Korea

Ms. Neelie KroesVice President of the European CommissionCommissioner for the European Digital Agenda

Mr. Leong Keng Thai

H.E. Ms. Suvi Lindén

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal

Mr. Bruno Lanvin

Prof. Dr. Klaus M. Leisinger

Deputy Chief Executive and Director General (Telecoms and Post), Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

Minister of Communications, Finland

Chairman, Bharti Airtel, Bharti Enterprises

Executive Director, eLab, INSEAD

President and Managing Director, Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

Mr. Edouard DayanDirector-General, Universal Postal Union

12 13

Mr. Jay Naidoo

Dr. Speranza Ndege

Chair, Development Bank of Southern AfricaChair, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Director, Institute of Open, Distance & e-Learning, Kenyatta University

H.E. Mr. Adama SamassékouPresident, International Council of Philosophy and Human Sciences

Prof. Jeffrey SachsSpecial Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General for the Millennium Development Goals, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University

H.E. Ambassador Sha ZukangUnder Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Youssou N’DourMusician, Goodwill Ambassador, UNICEF

Mr. Denis O’BrienChairman, Digicel Group

H.E. Ms. Safuneitu’uga Pa’aga NeriMinister of Communications and Information Technology, Samoa

Mr. Paul S. OtelliniPresident and CEO, Intel Corporation

Mr. Esteban Pacha-VicenteDirector General, International Mobile Satellite Organization

Mr. Supachai PanitchpakdiSecretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Dr. Sam PitrodaAdviser to Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations

Mr. Christian RoisseExecutive Secretary, EUTELSAT IGO

Mr. José Manuel do Rosario ToscanoDirector General and CEO, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Mr. Ben VerwaayenCEO, Alcatel-Lucent

Mr. Hans VestbergPresident and CEO, Ericsson

Dr. Wang JianzhouChairman and CEO, China Mobile

Professor Muhammad YunusNobel LaureateManaging Director, Grameen Bank

Dr. Shashi TharoorMember of Parliament, India

Sir Martin SorrellGroup Chief Executive, WPP

Ms. Sun YafangChairperson, Huawei Technologies

Mr. Luis Alberto MorenoPresident of the Inter-American Development Bank

12 13

Mr. Jay Naidoo

Dr. Speranza Ndege

Chair, Development Bank of Southern AfricaChair, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition

Director, Institute of Open, Distance & e-Learning, Kenyatta University

H.E. Mr. Adama SamassékouPresident, International Council of Philosophy and Human Sciences

Prof. Jeffrey SachsSpecial Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General for the Millennium Development Goals, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University

H.E. Ambassador Sha ZukangUnder Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Mr. Youssou N’DourMusician, Goodwill Ambassador, UNICEF

Mr. Denis O’BrienChairman, Digicel Group

H.E. Ms. Safuneitu’uga Pa’aga NeriMinister of Communications and Information Technology, Samoa

Mr. Paul S. OtelliniPresident and CEO, Intel Corporation

Mr. Esteban Pacha-VicenteDirector General, International Mobile Satellite Organization

Mr. Supachai PanitchpakdiSecretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Dr. Sam PitrodaAdviser to Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations

Mr. Christian RoisseExecutive Secretary, EUTELSAT IGO

Mr. José Manuel do Rosario ToscanoDirector General and CEO, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Mr. Ben VerwaayenCEO, Alcatel-Lucent

Mr. Hans VestbergPresident and CEO, Ericsson

Dr. Wang JianzhouChairman and CEO, China Mobile

Professor Muhammad YunusNobel LaureateManaging Director, Grameen Bank

Dr. Shashi TharoorMember of Parliament, India

Sir Martin SorrellGroup Chief Executive, WPP

Ms. Sun YafangChairperson, Huawei Technologies

Mr. Luis Alberto MorenoPresident of the Inter-American Development Bank

15

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” – Albert Einstein

Timing is everything. The year 2010 marks not only a key milestone on the road to achieving the Millennium Development goals (MDgs) and the outcomes of the geneva and Tunis phases of the World summit on the information society (Wsis). it also marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark ‘Missing link’ report of the Maitland Commission, which called for the now seemingly humble target of bringing virtually the whole of mankind within easy reach of a telephone by the early part of the 21st Century.

While strong market demand in the formofmobile telephonyandthe Internethavesince driven the explosion of worldwideICT diffusion even in the world’s poorest

2ExECuTivE SummAryA 2010 LEADErShip impErATivE: TOwArDS A FuTurE BuiLT ON BrOADBAND

countries,webelievewehaveonceagainarrivedatacrossroads in theevolutionoftheglobaldigitalhighway,withbroadbandasthenextgreatleapforward.

The new realities and opportunities fordigitaldevelopmentmustbefixedwithoutdelay in the minds of world leaders as aleadership and development imperative.Indeed, as these very leaders gather thisweek at the United Nations in New Yorkforthewatershed2010 MDG Summit,andwithonlyfiveyearslefttomeettheMDGsamid a continuing climate of fiscal anddonor uncertainty, progress still needs tobeacceleratediftheMDGsaretobemet,particularlyintheworld’sLeastDevelopedCountries(LDCs).

Meanwhile, in this second decade of the21stCentury,thedigitaldividecontinuestobeadevelopmentdividethatmustquicklybebridged.Wefirmlybelievethattoday,thesocialandeconomicdevelopmentofeverycountryonearthwilldependonaccessibleand affordable access to broadbandnetworks,basedonamultilingualapproach,as the basis of human opportunity for allcitizens–wherevertheyliveandwhatevertheircircumstances.

Werecognizethesignificantprogressmadein recent years by many governmentsto put in place an enabling environmentfor ICT investment, and the resultinginvestmentandgrowthinmobilenetworksand services in particular, especially indevelopingcountries.Ifwearetoreplicatethis ‘mobile miracle’ for broadband, thenall stakeholders must come together toaddress the significant policy, regulatory,structural and institutional hurdles thatremain in the way of widespread, globalbroadbandroll-out.

15

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it” – Albert Einstein

Timing is everything. The year 2010 marks not only a key milestone on the road to achieving the Millennium Development goals (MDgs) and the outcomes of the geneva and Tunis phases of the World summit on the information society (Wsis). it also marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark ‘Missing link’ report of the Maitland Commission, which called for the now seemingly humble target of bringing virtually the whole of mankind within easy reach of a telephone by the early part of the 21st Century.

While strong market demand in the formofmobile telephonyandthe Internethavesince driven the explosion of worldwideICT diffusion even in the world’s poorest

2ExECuTivE SummAryA 2010 LEADErShip impErATivE: TOwArDS A FuTurE BuiLT ON BrOADBAND

countries,webelievewehaveonceagainarrivedatacrossroads in theevolutionoftheglobaldigitalhighway,withbroadbandasthenextgreatleapforward.

The new realities and opportunities fordigitaldevelopmentmustbefixedwithoutdelay in the minds of world leaders as aleadership and development imperative.Indeed, as these very leaders gather thisweek at the United Nations in New Yorkforthewatershed2010 MDG Summit,andwithonlyfiveyearslefttomeettheMDGsamid a continuing climate of fiscal anddonor uncertainty, progress still needs tobeacceleratediftheMDGsaretobemet,particularlyintheworld’sLeastDevelopedCountries(LDCs).

Meanwhile, in this second decade of the21stCentury,thedigitaldividecontinuestobeadevelopmentdividethatmustquicklybebridged.Wefirmlybelievethattoday,thesocialandeconomicdevelopmentofeverycountryonearthwilldependonaccessibleand affordable access to broadbandnetworks,basedonamultilingualapproach,as the basis of human opportunity for allcitizens–wherevertheyliveandwhatevertheircircumstances.

Werecognizethesignificantprogressmadein recent years by many governmentsto put in place an enabling environmentfor ICT investment, and the resultinginvestmentandgrowthinmobilenetworksand services in particular, especially indevelopingcountries.Ifwearetoreplicatethis ‘mobile miracle’ for broadband, thenall stakeholders must come together toaddress the significant policy, regulatory,structural and institutional hurdles thatremain in the way of widespread, globalbroadbandroll-out.

16 17To look at the long-term broadbandpicture,wemustengageourimaginationsto envision broadband connectivity andcontent as the full ripening of the digitalrevolution, the fruits of which in manycaseshaveyettobeinventedorimagined,but which will transform our lives,livelihoodsandlifestylespermanentlyandprofoundly.Bypullingtheleversofpolicyandinvestmenttogether,webelievethatin2010,wecantakethefirststepstowardsthisexhilaratingfuture.

The question is not ‘why broadband’?The question is rather who will rise tothe challenge for social and economictransformationofferedby themobileandbroadbandrevolutions?Aregovernmentsfully aware of the enormous potentialof broadband to deliver services totheir citizens, and can industry deliverbroadbandinclusionforall,evenformarketsegmentswherethebusinesscaseislesscertain?Anotherimportantquestionishowcan broadband connectivity and contentbe delivered in the most accessible andaffordableway,andtoallcitizens,intheirownlanguages?

In this brave new world of ‘digitalopportunity’,webelievetheburningissueiswhatpricewillbepaidbythosewhofailtomaketheglobal,regional,nationalandlocalchoices forbroadband inclusion forall–choiceswhichmustbemadesoonerratherthanlater.

In2010,fromBrusselstoKigali,andfromNewDelhi toWashington,advancedandforward-looking policies and plans arebeing put in place for nothing less thanthe unleashing of ubiquitous invention,innovation and investment via theaccelerated deployment of a ubiquitous

broadband Internet. Countries as diverseasAustralia,Brazil,China,India,MacedoniaandSouthAfricahavelaunchedbroadbandinitiatives, offering important insights andexperiencetoothercountries.

These developments are radically andirrevocably shifting the policy andinvestment debate away from argumentsover increasingthesupplyofconnectivityto high-speed broadband links towardsincreasingdemandandadoptionofdigitalpublicandprivategoodsandservicesforthebenefitofallsociety,viaaccesstoavastrange of content, information, knowledgeandapplicationsdeliveredby andacrossallsectorsoftheeconomy.

It is critically important to build inclusiveknowledge societies in which peoplecangainthecapabilitiesfrombroadband-enabled applications to transforminformation into knowledge andunderstanding which can empower themtoenhancetheirlivelihoodsandcontributeto the social and economic developmentoftheirsocieties.

Uniting this human development agendawith the strong business case forbroadband to boost progress towardstheMDGsisthekeychallengeforpolicy-makers. The Broadband Commission for Digital Development unites a panelof pioneering policy leaders with topbusiness executives to draw tentativepolicyconclusionsandbestpracticesfromtheirrichfusionofexperienceandinsights.ThisReportsummarizesthekeyfindingsoftheCommission’sconsultationstodate.

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015

For the international developmentcommunity,thewatchwordsamongpolicy-makers and practitioners for meetingthe interlinked MDG agenda of poverty,education,gender,healthandenvironmentare‘scalability’and‘replicability’.Projectsdelivered through broadband networkscan deliver these goals. They offer thepotential to leverage shared knowledgeinteractively and instantaneously acrosstheglobeandthepossibilityofunleashingpeopleandcommunitypowerbymovingfromdependencytoaself-helpmodel.Significantly, of all the MDG targets, themostadvancedisthetargetforICTs.Asthetechnicalandpolicydebateonbroadbanddeploymentnowunfolds in real-timeandon a global, regional, national and localbasis,webelieve it isessential thatbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries takeaseatatthesametable.

By turning on the broadband tap, webelieveitwillbepossibletoovercomethemanyearlyobstaclesencounteredontheglobal digital highway, as well as manyof theperennialdevelopmentchallenges.The Broadband Commission for Digital Development has focused on the sevenconvergent and interdependent forcesof Policy, infrastructure, Technology,innovation, Content and applications,People and government, which webelieve need to be harnessed by theinternational community to build aBroadband Development Dynamic.Theseforces are expanded on in later sectionsofthisReport.

A Shared Responsibility for a Shared Resource - From Mobile to Broadband

Today, it is widely understood thatnothing scales to critical mass quitelike cell-phones and cyber-space. Thevalue of theworldwidemobile andwiredInternet increases exponentially asmore people, communities and nationsbecome connected to it. Such ‘networkeffects’ have been in evidence almostfrom the birth of themobile and Internetmarket phenomena, but we are rapidlyentering a new and dramatic phase ofgrowthanddemand.

However,deploymentofbroadbandgoeshand in hand with the development ofapplications and content. Broadbandis a tool for advancing further along thepath of inclusive knowledge societieswhere access to information, freedom ofexpressionandhumancreativityarevital.

Likewise, although broadband has theinherentcapabilitytocutaswathethroughthe silos associated with the health,education, culture, energy, transport,environment and other sectors, it hasall too often fallen between sectors as acasualtyofshort-termmicro-andmacro-economic planning. Many would arguethat these sectors are on the thresholdof systemic and fundamental changerequiring re-engineering from top tobottom. Fundamentally, like mobile andthe early Internet, broadband could bethenextdisruptivetechnologytoolthatisabouttocatalyzethatchange.

In today’s global networked economy,broadband ICTs are a vital engine

16 17To look at the long-term broadbandpicture,wemustengageourimaginationsto envision broadband connectivity andcontent as the full ripening of the digitalrevolution, the fruits of which in manycaseshaveyettobeinventedorimagined,but which will transform our lives,livelihoodsandlifestylespermanentlyandprofoundly.Bypullingtheleversofpolicyandinvestmenttogether,webelievethatin2010,wecantakethefirststepstowardsthisexhilaratingfuture.

The question is not ‘why broadband’?The question is rather who will rise tothe challenge for social and economictransformationofferedby themobileandbroadbandrevolutions?Aregovernmentsfully aware of the enormous potentialof broadband to deliver services totheir citizens, and can industry deliverbroadbandinclusionforall,evenformarketsegmentswherethebusinesscaseislesscertain?Anotherimportantquestionishowcan broadband connectivity and contentbe delivered in the most accessible andaffordableway,andtoallcitizens,intheirownlanguages?

In this brave new world of ‘digitalopportunity’,webelievetheburningissueiswhatpricewillbepaidbythosewhofailtomaketheglobal,regional,nationalandlocalchoices forbroadband inclusion forall–choiceswhichmustbemadesoonerratherthanlater.

In2010,fromBrusselstoKigali,andfromNewDelhi toWashington,advancedandforward-looking policies and plans arebeing put in place for nothing less thanthe unleashing of ubiquitous invention,innovation and investment via theaccelerated deployment of a ubiquitous

broadband Internet. Countries as diverseasAustralia,Brazil,China,India,MacedoniaandSouthAfricahavelaunchedbroadbandinitiatives, offering important insights andexperiencetoothercountries.

These developments are radically andirrevocably shifting the policy andinvestment debate away from argumentsover increasingthesupplyofconnectivityto high-speed broadband links towardsincreasingdemandandadoptionofdigitalpublicandprivategoodsandservicesforthebenefitofallsociety,viaaccesstoavastrange of content, information, knowledgeandapplicationsdeliveredby andacrossallsectorsoftheeconomy.

It is critically important to build inclusiveknowledge societies in which peoplecangainthecapabilitiesfrombroadband-enabled applications to transforminformation into knowledge andunderstanding which can empower themtoenhancetheirlivelihoodsandcontributeto the social and economic developmentoftheirsocieties.

Uniting this human development agendawith the strong business case forbroadband to boost progress towardstheMDGsisthekeychallengeforpolicy-makers. The Broadband Commission for Digital Development unites a panelof pioneering policy leaders with topbusiness executives to draw tentativepolicyconclusionsandbestpracticesfromtheirrichfusionofexperienceandinsights.ThisReportsummarizesthekeyfindingsoftheCommission’sconsultationstodate.

Meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015

For the international developmentcommunity,thewatchwordsamongpolicy-makers and practitioners for meetingthe interlinked MDG agenda of poverty,education,gender,healthandenvironmentare‘scalability’and‘replicability’.Projectsdelivered through broadband networkscan deliver these goals. They offer thepotential to leverage shared knowledgeinteractively and instantaneously acrosstheglobeandthepossibilityofunleashingpeopleandcommunitypowerbymovingfromdependencytoaself-helpmodel.Significantly, of all the MDG targets, themostadvancedisthetargetforICTs.Asthetechnicalandpolicydebateonbroadbanddeploymentnowunfolds in real-timeandon a global, regional, national and localbasis,webelieve it isessential thatbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries takeaseatatthesametable.

By turning on the broadband tap, webelieveitwillbepossibletoovercomethemanyearlyobstaclesencounteredontheglobal digital highway, as well as manyof theperennialdevelopmentchallenges.The Broadband Commission for Digital Development has focused on the sevenconvergent and interdependent forcesof Policy, infrastructure, Technology,innovation, Content and applications,People and government, which webelieve need to be harnessed by theinternational community to build aBroadband Development Dynamic.Theseforces are expanded on in later sectionsofthisReport.

A Shared Responsibility for a Shared Resource - From Mobile to Broadband

Today, it is widely understood thatnothing scales to critical mass quitelike cell-phones and cyber-space. Thevalue of theworldwidemobile andwiredInternet increases exponentially asmore people, communities and nationsbecome connected to it. Such ‘networkeffects’ have been in evidence almostfrom the birth of themobile and Internetmarket phenomena, but we are rapidlyentering a new and dramatic phase ofgrowthanddemand.

However,deploymentofbroadbandgoeshand in hand with the development ofapplications and content. Broadbandis a tool for advancing further along thepath of inclusive knowledge societieswhere access to information, freedom ofexpressionandhumancreativityarevital.

Likewise, although broadband has theinherentcapabilitytocutaswathethroughthe silos associated with the health,education, culture, energy, transport,environment and other sectors, it hasall too often fallen between sectors as acasualtyofshort-termmicro-andmacro-economic planning. Many would arguethat these sectors are on the thresholdof systemic and fundamental changerequiring re-engineering from top tobottom. Fundamentally, like mobile andthe early Internet, broadband could bethenextdisruptivetechnologytoolthatisabouttocatalyzethatchange.

In today’s global networked economy,broadband ICTs are a vital engine

18 19driving economic growth. Broadbandtechnologiesenablethefastandefficientcommunications across differentcountries critical for success in the newworld economy. Broadband technologiesand services are among the high-value,high-tech products which are growingfastest in international trade, generatingnew skills and sustaining strongestgrowthinincomes.

ICTs generally, and broadband morespecifically, candriveeconomic recoveryafter the recent economic slowdown.Broadband is spurring technologicalchange across a range of economicsectors–fromagriculturetofinance,fromconstructiontohealthcareandarangeofothermodernservices.TheICTsectorisavital, strategically-important sectorwhichcountries ignore today only at their peril.Neglecting thedeploymentofbroadbandnetworks and services can severelyjeopardizecountries’long-termeconomicgrowthprospectsandcompetitiveness intheinformationage.Futureservicedeliveryin health, education, business, trade andgovernment will all rely on broadband-enabledplatforms,socountriesmustplanforafuturebuiltonbroadband.

Despite the lower entry barriers, fasterpaybackperiods,economiesofscaleandconvenience of mobile communications,developing countries cannot just ‘makedo’withmobilebroadbandastheiraccessnetwork of choice without running theriskofbeingcondemned toa low-speedpath in the future information economy.Regardless of the choice of accessnetwork,thephysicaltransportlayerinthe‘backbone’networksneedstobewirelineandcapableofdeliveringsufficiently fastdata speeds to ensure that developingcountries can participate in the digitalrevolution and reap the full benefits oftechnologicalprogress.

The challenge for policy-makers is topromote investments in high-speednetworks (backbone and access) toensuretheirwidespreaddeploymentinanera of changing business models. Moreflexible licensing frameworks and moreefficient spectrum management havesucceededinhelpingtheindustrynavigatethe transition tomobile over the last twodecades; the policy consensus mustnow evolve to promote the transition tobroadbandnetworks.

All stakeholders must come togetherto address the policy, structural andinstitutional hurdles to widespreadbroadband roll-out around the globe.Webelievethatthegreatesthopeforsuccessforpromoting thedeploymentanduseofbroadband networks lies in a market-ledapproachfacilitatedbyanenablingpolicyenvironment. Amarket-led approach canharnessthedrive,dynamismanddisciplineof the private sector. Correspondingly,governments have a role to play inpolicy leadership creating an enablingenvironment for broadband roll-out andcreating demand for advanced nationalbroadbandnetworks.

Those countries that have succeeded inrollingoutextensivebroadbandnetworks,applications and associated content andintegrating them into their economic andsocialfabrichavedonesonotnecessarilyon thebackof vastwealthor evengreatinvestments, but on the basis of strongprivate sector participation facilitatedby early and consistent prioritization ofbroadbandateverylevelofpolicy-making.

In a market-led approach, however,incentivesneedtobedesignedandgivento rollingout infrastructure toensure thattelecommunication networks with highfixedcostsextendbeyondprofitableurbanareas to include rural communities as

well.Otherwise,successindeployingbroadbandnetworksmaybeonlypartialatbest,excludingruralpopulationsandmanyofthoseingreatestneed.

Since broadband technologies are pervasive and cross-cutting, broadbandmust beclearlyprioritizedinavirtuous‘broadbanddevelopmentdynamic’acrossallthedifferentpolicydomains–investmentsinbroadbandaresimplytooimportanttobeallowedtobecomeacasualtyofbureaucraticrivalriesorchangingpolicypriorities.

Forging Consensus for Commitment and Coordination

Foreachofthesevenforcesmentionedabove,webelievethetideisalreadyturninginawaythatisusheringinatidalwaveofdigitalopportunityfortheMDGsandbeyond.Eachoftheseforcesexistswithinacomplexeco-systemofitsown,withdeterminantsforchange thatarestillhighlysubjective innatureandonlypartiallyunderstood.Yetas next-generation networks based on broadband rapidly become the backbone ofthe digital economy, certain assumptions can bemade in crafting a consensus forcommitmentandcoordinationtowardsbroadbandinclusionforall:

• Fundamentally, thiswill requiregovernment-wide leadershipfromtheverytop,at the levelofPrimeMinisterorHeadofState,withasupportinggovernancemechanism;

• Abroad-based‘bottom-up’approachisalsorequiredtobuildcommitmenttotheconceptofbroadbandinclusionforall;

• Raisingawarenessoftheeconomicandsocialbenefitsofbroadbandshouldbepublicizedamongpolicy-anddecision-makers,aswellasthegeneralpublic;

• Most of the investments for broadbandwill come from the private sector, sopolicy-makers need to engage with industry and investors to promote policyobjectivesmorebroadly;

• Providingpolicydevelopmentskillstopublicauthoritiescouldhelpabolishsomeoftheexistingbarriersandfactorsthathinderwidespreaduptakeofbroadbanduseinthepopulation;

• For areas where private investments are not feasible, public authorities andprivateentitiesshouldfindinnovativewaysofcooperatingtoachievewidespreadaccesstoanduseofbroadband;

• Contentandapplicationsdevelopment isundergoingprofoundchange.Asthecreation,funding,sharinganddistributionofcontentinthedigitalworldincreasesincomplexity,afundamentalconcernofbusiness,governmentandcivilsocietyshouldbethestimulusoflocalanddiversifieddevelopment-centricapplications,inlocallanguages;

• Security, authenticity, and integrity issues will become ever more important,particularlywith regard toprivacy, protection andconfidentiality, andmustbeaddressed, otherwise large-scale investment in broadband infrastructure isunlikelytofulfilitspotential.

20 21

table 1: theoretical time to dowNload data oNliNe at differeNt coNNectioN SpeedS

Download: 56 kbps (dial-up)

256 kbps 2 mbps 40 mbps 100 mbps

Simple web page (160 KB)

23 seconds 5 seconds 0.64 seconds 0.03 seconds 0.01 seconds

iTu home page

(750 KB)

107 seconds 23 seconds 3 seconds 0.15 seconds 0.06 seconds

5 mB music track 12 minutes 3 minutes 20 seconds 1 second 0.4 seconds

20 mB video clip 48 minutes 10 minutes 1 minute 4 seconds 1.6 seconds

CD / low quality movie (700 mB)

28 hours 6 hours 47 minutes 2 minutes 56 seconds

DvD / high quality movie (4 GB)

1 week 1.5 days 4.5 hours 13 minutes 5 minutes

Stated national broadband targets (% population or

households [hh] to be covered)

uK (100%), France (100%),

Eu-defined target (100%)

Germany (75% hh, 50mbps)

Australia (90%), Denmark (75%), Finland (100%

hh), Korea (100%), New Zealand

(75%), portugal (35% hh),

Singapore (90% hh with 1 Gbps).

Source: itU

Defining Broadband in 2010

Initswork,theBroadband Commission for Digital Developmentdidnotexplicitlydefinetheterm‘broadband’intermsofspecificminimumtransmissionspeeds1inrecognitionoftherangeofmarketdefinitionsindifferentcountries.Broadbandissometimesalsodefinedintermsofaspecificsetoftechnologies,2butmanymembersoftheCommissionfounditappropriatetorefertobroadbandinclusivelyasanetworkinfrastructurecapableofreliablydeliveringdiverseconvergentservicesthroughhigh-capacityaccessoveramixoftechnologies.

ThisReportthereforereferstobroadbandasaclusterofconcepts,including:• always-on: the Internet service is subject to real-time instantaneous updates,

withoutusersre-initiatingconnectiontotheserver(asisthecasewithsomedial-upInternetconnections).

• High-capacity: the connection should be low latency and high-capacity3 in itsabilitytorespondrapidlyandconveyalargequantityofbits(information)arrivingpersecond(ratherthanthespeedatwhichthosebitstravel).

• Asaresult,broadbandenablesthecombined provisionofvoice,dataandvideoatthesametime.

Againstthisbackground,theBroadband Commission for Digital Development proposesthatall relevantstakeholdersengage increatingastrategic framework forbuildingaBroadband Development Dynamic,specificallytargetedattheacceleratedachievementoftheMDGs,KnowledgeSocietiesandbeyondthroughtheinter-dependentforcesofPolicy, infrastructure, Technology, innovation, Content and applications, Peopleandgovernment (seeFigure1).

1 ITUhasdefinedbroadbandtelephonyasaserviceprovidedoveranaccessnetwork“abletocontainatleastonechannelcapableofsupportingarategreaterthantheprimaryrate,orsupportinganequivalentinformationtransferrate”–seetheITU-TDatabaseoftermsanddefinitions(SANCHO),availableat:http://www.itu.int/sancho/index.asp.

2 Forexample,theITUTrendsinTelecommunicationReformReport(2009)notesfixedbroadbandcanbeimplementedthroughtechnologiessuchascablemodem,DSL,FTTx,MetroEthernet,WLAN.MobilebroadbandisimplementedthroughwidebandCDMA2000,CDMA20001xEV-DO,HSDPA,etc.

3 Formeasurementpurposes,ITUandtheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)recentlyharmonizedtheirbroadbanddefinitionsforfixed(wired)andwirelessbroadband.ITUrecognizesfixed(wired)broadbandservicesassubscriptionstohigh-speedaccesstothepublicInternet(overaTCP/IPconnection)atdownstreamspeedsequalto,orgreaterthan,256kbit/s.Wirelessbroadbandservicesincludesatellite,terrestrialfixedwirelessandterrestrialmobilewirelesssubscriptionswithadvertiseddownloadspeedsofatleast256kbit/s.BroadbanddefinitionswererevisedattheITUExpertGrouponTelecommunication/ICTIndicatorsmeeting,heldinGenevaon29-31March2010.Forfurtherinformation,see:http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/events/geneva102/index.html.

18 19driving economic growth. Broadbandtechnologiesenablethefastandefficientcommunications across differentcountries critical for success in the newworld economy. Broadband technologiesand services are among the high-value,high-tech products which are growingfastest in international trade, generatingnew skills and sustaining strongestgrowthinincomes.

ICTs generally, and broadband morespecifically, candriveeconomic recoveryafter the recent economic slowdown.Broadband is spurring technologicalchange across a range of economicsectors–fromagriculturetofinance,fromconstructiontohealthcareandarangeofothermodernservices.TheICTsectorisavital, strategically-important sectorwhichcountries ignore today only at their peril.Neglecting thedeploymentofbroadbandnetworks and services can severelyjeopardizecountries’long-termeconomicgrowthprospectsandcompetitiveness intheinformationage.Futureservicedeliveryin health, education, business, trade andgovernment will all rely on broadband-enabledplatforms,socountriesmustplanforafuturebuiltonbroadband.

Despite the lower entry barriers, fasterpaybackperiods,economiesofscaleandconvenience of mobile communications,developing countries cannot just ‘makedo’withmobilebroadbandastheiraccessnetwork of choice without running theriskofbeingcondemned toa low-speedpath in the future information economy.Regardless of the choice of accessnetwork,thephysicaltransportlayerinthe‘backbone’networksneedstobewirelineandcapableofdeliveringsufficiently fastdata speeds to ensure that developingcountries can participate in the digitalrevolution and reap the full benefits oftechnologicalprogress.

The challenge for policy-makers is topromote investments in high-speednetworks (backbone and access) toensuretheirwidespreaddeploymentinanera of changing business models. Moreflexible licensing frameworks and moreefficient spectrum management havesucceededinhelpingtheindustrynavigatethe transition tomobile over the last twodecades; the policy consensus mustnow evolve to promote the transition tobroadbandnetworks.

All stakeholders must come togetherto address the policy, structural andinstitutional hurdles to widespreadbroadband roll-out around the globe.Webelievethatthegreatesthopeforsuccessforpromoting thedeploymentanduseofbroadband networks lies in a market-ledapproachfacilitatedbyanenablingpolicyenvironment. Amarket-led approach canharnessthedrive,dynamismanddisciplineof the private sector. Correspondingly,governments have a role to play inpolicy leadership creating an enablingenvironment for broadband roll-out andcreating demand for advanced nationalbroadbandnetworks.

Those countries that have succeeded inrollingoutextensivebroadbandnetworks,applications and associated content andintegrating them into their economic andsocialfabrichavedonesonotnecessarilyon thebackof vastwealthor evengreatinvestments, but on the basis of strongprivate sector participation facilitatedby early and consistent prioritization ofbroadbandateverylevelofpolicy-making.

In a market-led approach, however,incentivesneedtobedesignedandgivento rollingout infrastructure toensure thattelecommunication networks with highfixedcostsextendbeyondprofitableurbanareas to include rural communities as

well.Otherwise,successindeployingbroadbandnetworksmaybeonlypartialatbest,excludingruralpopulationsandmanyofthoseingreatestneed.

Since broadband technologies are pervasive and cross-cutting, broadbandmust beclearlyprioritizedinavirtuous‘broadbanddevelopmentdynamic’acrossallthedifferentpolicydomains–investmentsinbroadbandaresimplytooimportanttobeallowedtobecomeacasualtyofbureaucraticrivalriesorchangingpolicypriorities.

Forging Consensus for Commitment and Coordination

Foreachofthesevenforcesmentionedabove,webelievethetideisalreadyturninginawaythatisusheringinatidalwaveofdigitalopportunityfortheMDGsandbeyond.Eachoftheseforcesexistswithinacomplexeco-systemofitsown,withdeterminantsforchange thatarestillhighlysubjective innatureandonlypartiallyunderstood.Yetas next-generation networks based on broadband rapidly become the backbone ofthe digital economy, certain assumptions can bemade in crafting a consensus forcommitmentandcoordinationtowardsbroadbandinclusionforall:

• Fundamentally, thiswill requiregovernment-wide leadershipfromtheverytop,at the levelofPrimeMinisterorHeadofState,withasupportinggovernancemechanism;

• Abroad-based‘bottom-up’approachisalsorequiredtobuildcommitmenttotheconceptofbroadbandinclusionforall;

• Raisingawarenessoftheeconomicandsocialbenefitsofbroadbandshouldbepublicizedamongpolicy-anddecision-makers,aswellasthegeneralpublic;

• Most of the investments for broadbandwill come from the private sector, sopolicy-makers need to engage with industry and investors to promote policyobjectivesmorebroadly;

• Providingpolicydevelopmentskillstopublicauthoritiescouldhelpabolishsomeoftheexistingbarriersandfactorsthathinderwidespreaduptakeofbroadbanduseinthepopulation;

• For areas where private investments are not feasible, public authorities andprivateentitiesshouldfindinnovativewaysofcooperatingtoachievewidespreadaccesstoanduseofbroadband;

• Contentandapplicationsdevelopment isundergoingprofoundchange.Asthecreation,funding,sharinganddistributionofcontentinthedigitalworldincreasesincomplexity,afundamentalconcernofbusiness,governmentandcivilsocietyshouldbethestimulusoflocalanddiversifieddevelopment-centricapplications,inlocallanguages;

• Security, authenticity, and integrity issues will become ever more important,particularlywith regard toprivacy, protection andconfidentiality, andmustbeaddressed, otherwise large-scale investment in broadband infrastructure isunlikelytofulfilitspotential.

20 21

table 1: theoretical time to dowNload data oNliNe at differeNt coNNectioN SpeedS

Download: 56 kbps (dial-up)

256 kbps 2 mbps 40 mbps 100 mbps

Simple web page (160 KB)

23 seconds 5 seconds 0.64 seconds 0.03 seconds 0.01 seconds

iTu home page

(750 KB)

107 seconds 23 seconds 3 seconds 0.15 seconds 0.06 seconds

5 mB music track 12 minutes 3 minutes 20 seconds 1 second 0.4 seconds

20 mB video clip 48 minutes 10 minutes 1 minute 4 seconds 1.6 seconds

CD / low quality movie (700 mB)

28 hours 6 hours 47 minutes 2 minutes 56 seconds

DvD / high quality movie (4 GB)

1 week 1.5 days 4.5 hours 13 minutes 5 minutes

Stated national broadband targets (% population or

households [hh] to be covered)

uK (100%), France (100%),

Eu-defined target (100%)

Germany (75% hh, 50mbps)

Australia (90%), Denmark (75%), Finland (100%

hh), Korea (100%), New Zealand

(75%), portugal (35% hh),

Singapore (90% hh with 1 Gbps).

Source: itU

Defining Broadband in 2010

Initswork,theBroadband Commission for Digital Developmentdidnotexplicitlydefinetheterm‘broadband’intermsofspecificminimumtransmissionspeeds1inrecognitionoftherangeofmarketdefinitionsindifferentcountries.Broadbandissometimesalsodefinedintermsofaspecificsetoftechnologies,2butmanymembersoftheCommissionfounditappropriatetorefertobroadbandinclusivelyasanetworkinfrastructurecapableofreliablydeliveringdiverseconvergentservicesthroughhigh-capacityaccessoveramixoftechnologies.

ThisReportthereforereferstobroadbandasaclusterofconcepts,including:• always-on: the Internet service is subject to real-time instantaneous updates,

withoutusersre-initiatingconnectiontotheserver(asisthecasewithsomedial-upInternetconnections).

• High-capacity: the connection should be low latency and high-capacity3 in itsabilitytorespondrapidlyandconveyalargequantityofbits(information)arrivingpersecond(ratherthanthespeedatwhichthosebitstravel).

• Asaresult,broadbandenablesthecombined provisionofvoice,dataandvideoatthesametime.

Againstthisbackground,theBroadband Commission for Digital Development proposesthatall relevantstakeholdersengage increatingastrategic framework forbuildingaBroadband Development Dynamic,specificallytargetedattheacceleratedachievementoftheMDGs,KnowledgeSocietiesandbeyondthroughtheinter-dependentforcesofPolicy, infrastructure, Technology, innovation, Content and applications, Peopleandgovernment (seeFigure1).

1 ITUhasdefinedbroadbandtelephonyasaserviceprovidedoveranaccessnetwork“abletocontainatleastonechannelcapableofsupportingarategreaterthantheprimaryrate,orsupportinganequivalentinformationtransferrate”–seetheITU-TDatabaseoftermsanddefinitions(SANCHO),availableat:http://www.itu.int/sancho/index.asp.

2 Forexample,theITUTrendsinTelecommunicationReformReport(2009)notesfixedbroadbandcanbeimplementedthroughtechnologiessuchascablemodem,DSL,FTTx,MetroEthernet,WLAN.MobilebroadbandisimplementedthroughwidebandCDMA2000,CDMA20001xEV-DO,HSDPA,etc.

3 Formeasurementpurposes,ITUandtheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)recentlyharmonizedtheirbroadbanddefinitionsforfixed(wired)andwirelessbroadband.ITUrecognizesfixed(wired)broadbandservicesassubscriptionstohigh-speedaccesstothepublicInternet(overaTCP/IPconnection)atdownstreamspeedsequalto,orgreaterthan,256kbit/s.Wirelessbroadbandservicesincludesatellite,terrestrialfixedwirelessandterrestrialmobilewirelesssubscriptionswithadvertiseddownloadspeedsofatleast256kbit/s.BroadbanddefinitionswererevisedattheITUExpertGrouponTelecommunication/ICTIndicatorsmeeting,heldinGenevaon29-31March2010.Forfurtherinformation,see:http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/events/geneva102/index.html.

233CrEATiNG A BrOADBAND DEvELOpmENT DyNAmiC:A STrATEGiC FrAmEwOrK FOr ACTiON

Source:BroadbandCommission

Focusing on MDG Acceleration and Delivery in 2010

In timesof economicand social crisis,models and mindsets must adaptrapidly, and ubiquitous broadband is abig idea forwhich the time has come.As identifying replicable lessons andkey gaps for scaling up and fast-trackimplementation of theMDGsbecomesthe primary focus for the internationaldevelopmentcommunity in2010,whatshouldleadersinbusiness,governmentandcivilsocietybedoingtore-energizeandre-focusondelivery?

• Firstly, it must be recognized thatprogressinachievingtheinterlinkedMDGagendaofpoverty,education,gender, health and environment isnot helped if there are inter-agencydisconnects, or if incentives forinnovation and investment by theprivatesectorarechoked.Identifyingreplicable lessonsandkeygaps forscalingupand fast-tracking joined-up implementation of projectsremains a key challenge for thedevelopment community that mustbeaddressedhead-on.

figUre 1: the broadbaNd cloUd – a VirtUoUS cYcle for digital deVelopmeNt

233CrEATiNG A BrOADBAND DEvELOpmENT DyNAmiC:A STrATEGiC FrAmEwOrK FOr ACTiON

Source:BroadbandCommission

Focusing on MDG Acceleration and Delivery in 2010

In timesof economicand social crisis,models and mindsets must adaptrapidly, and ubiquitous broadband is abig idea forwhich the time has come.As identifying replicable lessons andkey gaps for scaling up and fast-trackimplementation of theMDGsbecomesthe primary focus for the internationaldevelopmentcommunity in2010,whatshouldleadersinbusiness,governmentandcivilsocietybedoingtore-energizeandre-focusondelivery?

• Firstly, it must be recognized thatprogressinachievingtheinterlinkedMDGagendaofpoverty,education,gender, health and environment isnot helped if there are inter-agencydisconnects, or if incentives forinnovation and investment by theprivatesectorarechoked.Identifyingreplicable lessonsandkeygaps forscalingupand fast-tracking joined-up implementation of projectsremains a key challenge for thedevelopment community that mustbeaddressedhead-on.

figUre 1: the broadbaNd cloUd – a VirtUoUS cYcle for digital deVelopmeNt

24 25• Secondly, the at-once immensely

disruptive yet hugely collaborativenature of the mobile, Internetand high-speed broadband valuechains must be embraced andexploited for the global publicgoodsoonerratherthanlater.Swiftadjustment of broadband policyand plans must be prioritized.

• Thirdly, advocacy for bothtechnology and developmentmustbeused to reignite theMDGcampaignandput itonceagainatthe forefront of theglobal agenda.The Broadband Commission for Digital Developmentmustfocustheattentionofallactorsonexploitingthe use of communicationtechnologies to accelerate joined-up delivery of the MDGs todayratherthantomorrow.

Broadband Spill-Over Effects

Today, the increasingly general purposeplatforms for innovation and investmentafforded by the mobile, Internet andnow broadband revolutions are alreadyleading to connected nations andnational transformation in the deliveryof ‘digital public goods and services’.In the 21st Century, the social andeconomic development of every countryon earth will depend on equitable andaffordableaccesstobroadbandnetworksforallcitizens.

The‘spill-over’benefitsofdigitalnetworkinvestment in terms of innovation andcost-savings in other sectors of theeconomy, including health, education,

energy,transportandcontentdistribution,arenowrecognizedwithaview toactionbyboththepublicandprivatesectors.

In its report, Network Developments in Support of Innovation and User Needs,theOECDoffers a new approach to buildingthe most forward-looking networkspossible by evaluating what short-termcost savings would have to be achievedin other key economic sectors to justifythe investment. The perhaps surprisingansweristhat,onaverage,costsavingsofjust 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent in eachof these four key sectors over ten yearscould justify the cost of building nationalpoint-to-point, fibre-to-the-home (FTTH)networksinOECDcountries.

In many cases, the social returns ofbroadband connectivity are potentiallymuch larger than the costs of buildingnetworks. Savings in the health sectoralone inOECDcountriescould justify thecostofrollingoutafastbroadbandnetworkifhealthcostsweretofallbetween1.4percentand3.7percentasadirectresultofhavingthenewnetworkinplace. Inotherwords, the inability of all stakeholders totakeintoaccountthefullsocialcostsandnetwork externalities may lead to non-optimalprovisionofservicesandreducedinnovation.

Opening up telecommunicationmarkets to competition, and the abilityfor entrepreneurs to internalize someexternalities, can help lead to increasingaccessand innovationwithdemonstrablebenefits for people living in developingcountries (eg, in online remittances andmobile money transfer etc.). On theother hand, although public fundingoften provides the bulk of expenditurefor health and education, governments

havenot always seized theopportunitiesfor economic savings and improvedservices thatcanbeestablished in theseareas by developing communicationservicesfurther.

In the 21st Century, broadband networksmust be regarded as vital nationalinfrastructure – similar to transport,energy and water networks, but with animpactthatisevenmorepowerfulandfar-reaching. As a general purpose platformforinnovationandinvestment,broadbandnetworks can help to: control and useenergymoreefficiently;managehealthcarein poor, ageing or isolated populations;deliver the best possible education tofuture generations; take better care ofour environment; streamline transportnetworks; and also help to accelerateprogresstowardstheMDGs.

The following sections delineate theconvergent and interdependent forcesof Policy, infrastructure, Technology,innovation, Content and applications,People and government and howthey can be harnessed, and criticallyassessed by multi-stakeholderdevelopment partners, to create aBroadband Development Dynamic.

3.1. PoliCy: FROm CLEaR POLiCy LEaDERSHiP tO aN ENabLiNG ENviRONmENtIn many industrialized countries, regularattention is given by policy-makers,regulators and industry to quarterlyfigures for broadband investments,

deployment and subscribers as ameasure of their national ability tocompete in theglobaleconomy. Insomecountries, there is a clear understanding(and constant media coverage) of theimportance of national rankings in termsof broadband infrastructure and take-up.Which factors distinguish the countriesleading in the national deployment ofbroadband? Do these countries lead inbroadbanddeployment by fortune, sheerwealthordesign?

Policy leadership and political willpowerat the highest level are fundamental topromoting the deployment of broadbandnetworks and development of contentand ICTskills.Thosecountries thathavesucceeded in rolling out broadbandnetworks and integrating them into theireconomic and social fabric have doneso not necessarily on the back of vastwealth or huge investments, but on thebasisofearlyandconsistentprioritizationof broadband at every level of policy-making.Themostsuccessfuladoptersofbroadband(includingJapan,theRepublicofKoreaandScandinaviancountries)werequicktorecognizebroadbandasanationalpriority needing separate and steadyinvestments,inadditiontoinvestmentsinthebroadertelecommunicationdomain.

Successfulcountriesoftenadvocatedthesimultaneous development of NationalICTPolicieswhichprovided the enablingenvironment and capacity-buildingprograms for their citizens toacquire theskills and confidence to create, share,preserve,andethicallyuseinformation.

Coordinated policies are needed acrossavarietyofdifferentdomains. Infact,thecountries leading theworld inbroadbandhave often succeeded in establishing a

24 25• Secondly, the at-once immensely

disruptive yet hugely collaborativenature of the mobile, Internetand high-speed broadband valuechains must be embraced andexploited for the global publicgoodsoonerratherthanlater.Swiftadjustment of broadband policyand plans must be prioritized.

• Thirdly, advocacy for bothtechnology and developmentmustbeused to reignite theMDGcampaignandput itonceagainatthe forefront of theglobal agenda.The Broadband Commission for Digital Developmentmustfocustheattentionofallactorsonexploitingthe use of communicationtechnologies to accelerate joined-up delivery of the MDGs todayratherthantomorrow.

Broadband Spill-Over Effects

Today, the increasingly general purposeplatforms for innovation and investmentafforded by the mobile, Internet andnow broadband revolutions are alreadyleading to connected nations andnational transformation in the deliveryof ‘digital public goods and services’.In the 21st Century, the social andeconomic development of every countryon earth will depend on equitable andaffordableaccesstobroadbandnetworksforallcitizens.

The‘spill-over’benefitsofdigitalnetworkinvestment in terms of innovation andcost-savings in other sectors of theeconomy, including health, education,

energy,transportandcontentdistribution,arenowrecognizedwithaview toactionbyboththepublicandprivatesectors.

In its report, Network Developments in Support of Innovation and User Needs,theOECDoffers a new approach to buildingthe most forward-looking networkspossible by evaluating what short-termcost savings would have to be achievedin other key economic sectors to justifythe investment. The perhaps surprisingansweristhat,onaverage,costsavingsofjust 0.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent in eachof these four key sectors over ten yearscould justify the cost of building nationalpoint-to-point, fibre-to-the-home (FTTH)networksinOECDcountries.

In many cases, the social returns ofbroadband connectivity are potentiallymuch larger than the costs of buildingnetworks. Savings in the health sectoralone inOECDcountriescould justify thecostofrollingoutafastbroadbandnetworkifhealthcostsweretofallbetween1.4percentand3.7percentasadirectresultofhavingthenewnetworkinplace. Inotherwords, the inability of all stakeholders totakeintoaccountthefullsocialcostsandnetwork externalities may lead to non-optimalprovisionofservicesandreducedinnovation.

Opening up telecommunicationmarkets to competition, and the abilityfor entrepreneurs to internalize someexternalities, can help lead to increasingaccessand innovationwithdemonstrablebenefits for people living in developingcountries (eg, in online remittances andmobile money transfer etc.). On theother hand, although public fundingoften provides the bulk of expenditurefor health and education, governments

havenot always seized theopportunitiesfor economic savings and improvedservices thatcanbeestablished in theseareas by developing communicationservicesfurther.

In the 21st Century, broadband networksmust be regarded as vital nationalinfrastructure – similar to transport,energy and water networks, but with animpactthatisevenmorepowerfulandfar-reaching. As a general purpose platformforinnovationandinvestment,broadbandnetworks can help to: control and useenergymoreefficiently;managehealthcarein poor, ageing or isolated populations;deliver the best possible education tofuture generations; take better care ofour environment; streamline transportnetworks; and also help to accelerateprogresstowardstheMDGs.

The following sections delineate theconvergent and interdependent forcesof Policy, infrastructure, Technology,innovation, Content and applications,People and government and howthey can be harnessed, and criticallyassessed by multi-stakeholderdevelopment partners, to create aBroadband Development Dynamic.

3.1. PoliCy: FROm CLEaR POLiCy LEaDERSHiP tO aN ENabLiNG ENviRONmENtIn many industrialized countries, regularattention is given by policy-makers,regulators and industry to quarterlyfigures for broadband investments,

deployment and subscribers as ameasure of their national ability tocompete in theglobaleconomy. Insomecountries, there is a clear understanding(and constant media coverage) of theimportance of national rankings in termsof broadband infrastructure and take-up.Which factors distinguish the countriesleading in the national deployment ofbroadband? Do these countries lead inbroadbanddeployment by fortune, sheerwealthordesign?

Policy leadership and political willpowerat the highest level are fundamental topromoting the deployment of broadbandnetworks and development of contentand ICTskills.Thosecountries thathavesucceeded in rolling out broadbandnetworks and integrating them into theireconomic and social fabric have doneso not necessarily on the back of vastwealth or huge investments, but on thebasisofearlyandconsistentprioritizationof broadband at every level of policy-making.Themostsuccessfuladoptersofbroadband(includingJapan,theRepublicofKoreaandScandinaviancountries)werequicktorecognizebroadbandasanationalpriority needing separate and steadyinvestments,inadditiontoinvestmentsinthebroadertelecommunicationdomain.

Successfulcountriesoftenadvocatedthesimultaneous development of NationalICTPolicieswhichprovided the enablingenvironment and capacity-buildingprograms for their citizens toacquire theskills and confidence to create, share,preserve,andethicallyuseinformation.

Coordinated policies are needed acrossavarietyofdifferentdomains. Infact,thecountries leading theworld inbroadbandhave often succeeded in establishing a

26 27Broadband Development Dynamic wherepolicy, infrastructure, technology,content and applications, innovation,people and government interact in avirtuous cycle of supply and demand.Policies should not focus solely on thesupplyofinfrastructure,butmusttakeintoaccount demand for broadband servicesand content across the range of usergroups. Since broadband technologiesare pervasive and cross-cutting,broadband must be prioritized acrossdifferentpolicydomains.

National policy priorities must also betranslated into practical strategies.According to ITU’s latest statistics, 161countries and territories had a nationale-strategy in place by April 2010, withanother 14 countries and territoriescurrentlyformulatinganationale-strategy.4

(Note: The number of BroadbandCommissionsgloballyisbeingresearchedfortheforthcomingbackgroundReport).

Broadband strategies deserve specialconsiderationintermsoftheirownnationalframework to ensure that countries arenot leftbehindona low-speedpath toanon-competitive future. For developingcountries, broadband strategies mustbe integrated with national strategiesfor education, healthcare, power andtransport infrastructure, as well as theirPoverty Reduction Strategy Papers(PRSPs). Effective regulatory and policyframeworksmeritadditionalconsiderationto ensure that broadband services arerealized beyond higher-income, moreprofitableurbanareas.

Policy priorities must be developedin context, and have to reflect thetelecommunication market structure ofeach country and accommodate legal

and administrative traditions and marketrealities. Establishing an enabling policyenvironment within which the provisionof broadband networks and services canflourishcanonlybedone incollaborationwithindustry.Governmentsareencouragedto work together with industry and otherstakeholders to take onboard theirconcernsinarrivingatregulatorysolutionstothechallengesaffectingtheirmarket.

For most operators, beyond a clearstatement of policy leadership, theeverydayrealityofpolicy-makingtakestheform of regulation, taxation and customsand import duties in the set of rules andregulations established by government.Governments are encouraged to re-examine these regimes with fresh eyeswithaviewtopromotingthefastergrowthofnetworksandservices.

Towards Effective regulation

A conducive regulatory environmentwhich balances the needs of businesswiththeneedsofconsumers isessential.Governments should recognize the needfor an appropriate regulatory frameworkfostering broadband access to enablethe development of infrastructure-basedcompetition in addition to service-basedcompetition. To fully exploit the benefitsof wired and wireless technologies andconvergence (allowing the delivery ofservices across different technologicalplatforms and giving users access tonew kinds of communication and mediaservices), governments need to create afavourableregulatoryenvironmentincludingallowance for total service convergence(inmulti-playoffers)andcompetitioninallbuildingblocksofbroadbanddeployment.

Policy-makers and regulators need toestablishappropriatepolicygoals relatedto broadband and refrain from imposingregulatory restrictions except wherestrictlynecessarytopromotecompetitionand consumer protection. Governmentsshould adopt simplified, flexible andtechnology-neutral licensing regimesto provide for existing players as wellas easy market entry by new players,whilst making more spectrum availablefor broadband and commercial use, andallowingprovidersthechoiceofthemostappropriatetechnologies.

Governments may also choose toencourage commercial infrastructure-sharing and the greater availability offrequency bands to allow operators todeliver broadband services (wireline orwireless)moreeffectively,andtopromotethe utilization of new and emergingtechnologies, such as smart grids.Governments also need to create theregulatory incentives to move towardsnext-generation mobile broadband (4G/IMTAdvanced).

Taxation and Customs Duties as an incentive, Not a Burden to Business

Althoughthetelecommunicationsectorisoftenanimportantsourceoftaxrevenuesandleviesintheformaleconomyinmanydeveloping countries, there are seriousconsequencestoapplyingtaxationregimesorrateswhichprovetoogreataburdenforbusiness.Overlyaggressiveapproachestotaxationreducethegrowthpotentialofanymarket by making the purchase price ofhandsetsandtheongoingcostofservicestoo expensive, often for the very peoplewho can least afford telecommunicationservice,butwhoseneedmaybegreatest.

For mobile telephony, overly aggressivetaxation has been shown to impactthe diffusion of wireless broadbandnegatively, with an adverse impact oneconomic development.5 The removal oftaxationand importdutiesoncomputersand ICT equipment could help enableschools and hospitals to benefit fullyfromtheadvantagesofICTsbyboostingtheir use of computers. Fiscal policiesthat apply specific, special taxes to thetelecommunication sector are ofteninefficient and cause distortions that“crowd out” private spending, ultimatelydiminishing consumer welfare. Policy-makers and regulators should takeonboard the concerns of industry andwork with operators to develop efficienttaxregimeswhichaimtodeveloptheICTsector through longer-term investmentincentives. Depending on the elasticityof the local market, taxes and customsduties on the one-off purchase andimport of telecommunication equipmentcan often be recouped over lower taxrates on greater market revenues fromadded growth in ongoing demand fortelecommunicationservices.

3.2. iNfrasTrUCTUrE: iNvEStiNG iN iNFRaStRUCtURE FOR tHE FUtUREInadditiontoensuringanadequatesupplyof national bandwidth, the availability ofaffordableinternationalInternetbandwidthis vital for providing high-speed Internetconnectivity to citizens, governmentsand businesses alike. InternationalInternet bandwidth remains unequallydistributed, with far less internationalInternetbandwidthavailabletodeveloping

4 “Nationale-StrategiesforDevelopment:GlobalStatusandPerspectives2010”,ITU,publishedincollaborationwiththeUN,UNECA,UNECE, UNESCWAandUNESCAP,May2010.

5 “TheImpactofTaxationontheDevelopmentoftheMobileBroadbandSector2010”,TelecomAdvisoryServicesLLCandtheGSMA.

26 27Broadband Development Dynamic wherepolicy, infrastructure, technology,content and applications, innovation,people and government interact in avirtuous cycle of supply and demand.Policies should not focus solely on thesupplyofinfrastructure,butmusttakeintoaccount demand for broadband servicesand content across the range of usergroups. Since broadband technologiesare pervasive and cross-cutting,broadband must be prioritized acrossdifferentpolicydomains.

National policy priorities must also betranslated into practical strategies.According to ITU’s latest statistics, 161countries and territories had a nationale-strategy in place by April 2010, withanother 14 countries and territoriescurrentlyformulatinganationale-strategy.4

(Note: The number of BroadbandCommissionsgloballyisbeingresearchedfortheforthcomingbackgroundReport).

Broadband strategies deserve specialconsiderationintermsoftheirownnationalframework to ensure that countries arenot leftbehindona low-speedpath toanon-competitive future. For developingcountries, broadband strategies mustbe integrated with national strategiesfor education, healthcare, power andtransport infrastructure, as well as theirPoverty Reduction Strategy Papers(PRSPs). Effective regulatory and policyframeworksmeritadditionalconsiderationto ensure that broadband services arerealized beyond higher-income, moreprofitableurbanareas.

Policy priorities must be developedin context, and have to reflect thetelecommunication market structure ofeach country and accommodate legal

and administrative traditions and marketrealities. Establishing an enabling policyenvironment within which the provisionof broadband networks and services canflourishcanonlybedone incollaborationwithindustry.Governmentsareencouragedto work together with industry and otherstakeholders to take onboard theirconcernsinarrivingatregulatorysolutionstothechallengesaffectingtheirmarket.

For most operators, beyond a clearstatement of policy leadership, theeverydayrealityofpolicy-makingtakestheform of regulation, taxation and customsand import duties in the set of rules andregulations established by government.Governments are encouraged to re-examine these regimes with fresh eyeswithaviewtopromotingthefastergrowthofnetworksandservices.

Towards Effective regulation

A conducive regulatory environmentwhich balances the needs of businesswiththeneedsofconsumers isessential.Governments should recognize the needfor an appropriate regulatory frameworkfostering broadband access to enablethe development of infrastructure-basedcompetition in addition to service-basedcompetition. To fully exploit the benefitsof wired and wireless technologies andconvergence (allowing the delivery ofservices across different technologicalplatforms and giving users access tonew kinds of communication and mediaservices), governments need to create afavourableregulatoryenvironmentincludingallowance for total service convergence(inmulti-playoffers)andcompetitioninallbuildingblocksofbroadbanddeployment.

Policy-makers and regulators need toestablishappropriatepolicygoals relatedto broadband and refrain from imposingregulatory restrictions except wherestrictlynecessarytopromotecompetitionand consumer protection. Governmentsshould adopt simplified, flexible andtechnology-neutral licensing regimesto provide for existing players as wellas easy market entry by new players,whilst making more spectrum availablefor broadband and commercial use, andallowingprovidersthechoiceofthemostappropriatetechnologies.

Governments may also choose toencourage commercial infrastructure-sharing and the greater availability offrequency bands to allow operators todeliver broadband services (wireline orwireless)moreeffectively,andtopromotethe utilization of new and emergingtechnologies, such as smart grids.Governments also need to create theregulatory incentives to move towardsnext-generation mobile broadband (4G/IMTAdvanced).

Taxation and Customs Duties as an incentive, Not a Burden to Business

Althoughthetelecommunicationsectorisoftenanimportantsourceoftaxrevenuesandleviesintheformaleconomyinmanydeveloping countries, there are seriousconsequencestoapplyingtaxationregimesorrateswhichprovetoogreataburdenforbusiness.Overlyaggressiveapproachestotaxationreducethegrowthpotentialofanymarket by making the purchase price ofhandsetsandtheongoingcostofservicestoo expensive, often for the very peoplewho can least afford telecommunicationservice,butwhoseneedmaybegreatest.

For mobile telephony, overly aggressivetaxation has been shown to impactthe diffusion of wireless broadbandnegatively, with an adverse impact oneconomic development.5 The removal oftaxationand importdutiesoncomputersand ICT equipment could help enableschools and hospitals to benefit fullyfromtheadvantagesofICTsbyboostingtheir use of computers. Fiscal policiesthat apply specific, special taxes to thetelecommunication sector are ofteninefficient and cause distortions that“crowd out” private spending, ultimatelydiminishing consumer welfare. Policy-makers and regulators should takeonboard the concerns of industry andwork with operators to develop efficienttaxregimeswhichaimtodeveloptheICTsector through longer-term investmentincentives. Depending on the elasticityof the local market, taxes and customsduties on the one-off purchase andimport of telecommunication equipmentcan often be recouped over lower taxrates on greater market revenues fromadded growth in ongoing demand fortelecommunicationservices.

3.2. iNfrasTrUCTUrE: iNvEStiNG iN iNFRaStRUCtURE FOR tHE FUtUREInadditiontoensuringanadequatesupplyof national bandwidth, the availability ofaffordableinternationalInternetbandwidthis vital for providing high-speed Internetconnectivity to citizens, governmentsand businesses alike. InternationalInternet bandwidth remains unequallydistributed, with far less internationalInternetbandwidthavailabletodeveloping

4 “Nationale-StrategiesforDevelopment:GlobalStatusandPerspectives2010”,ITU,publishedincollaborationwiththeUN,UNECA,UNECE, UNESCWAandUNESCAP,May2010.

5 “TheImpactofTaxationontheDevelopmentoftheMobileBroadbandSector2010”,TelecomAdvisoryServicesLLCandtheGSMA.

28 29countries compared with developedcountries. By the end of 2009, fixedbroadband penetration in the developingworldstoodat4percent,comparedwithclose to 23 per cent in the developedworld,accordingtoITUanalysis.

Partlyasaresultofthelimitedavailabilityof Internet bandwidth, broadbandaccess remains prohibitively expensivein many developing countries. In Africa,for example, there is an inverse relationbetween penetration and prices: whilemobile penetration is high, prices arerelatively low.Broadband Internet prices,on the other hand, are very high andpenetration levels are very low. Theprohibitively high price for broadbandservices in Africa clearly remains amajor bottleneck to greater uptake ofbroadbandservices.

Wireless technologies play an importantrole in providing greater connectivity tohigh-capacity networks, particularly inthedevelopingworld.Bytheendof2009,there were around 670 million mobilebroadband subscriptions, of which overa quarter were in the developing world.This trend, as well as with the stronggrowthinsubscriptionsandtheadvancesin wireless technology, highlight growingopportunities for countries to join theinformation society. The demand forradiofrequencyspectrumislikelytogrowrapidly,amajorissuewhichpolicy-makersneedtoaddressurgently–notingthat,asa precious resource, spectrum allocationmustbebasedoncosts,efficiencyofuseandtheneedsofusers.

Broadband networks and services canenable operators to take advantage ofmarket convergence and create newrevenuestreams,whileexpandingaccesstoICTservicesatlowercoststoconsumers.A high-capacity fibre optic packettransport backbone is the fundamentalbackbone infrastructure that countriesneed to deploy to support the growth inbroadbandservices.Developingcountriescan leap-frog and take advantage of thelatest cost-effective and easy-to-deployfibreoptictechnologyinsteadoffollowingtheevolutionarypathtakenbydevelopedcountries. Public-private partnerships(PPPs) can help drive the deploymentof broadband, particularly in rural andunderserved areas. Public investmentsand subsidies in broadband servicesneed to be accompanied by regulationsto ensure effective competition andtransparencyofinformation.

3.3. TECHNology: FUtURE-PROOFiNG tECHNOLOGyInplanningtheroll-outanddeploymentofbroadbandnetworks,itisunlikelythatanysingletechnologywillbeabletoprovidealltheanswers.OpticalfibreisdesirableatthecoreoftheInternet,andforthemajorityofbackhaultraffic,toachieveahigh-capacitybackbone,butattheedgesofthenetwork,andinparticularinthehandsofend-users,it is most likely that mobile devices willdelivermanybroadbandapplicationsandservices. Indeed, this isalready thecase,withnearly900millionmobilebroadbandsubscriptions forecast to be achievedgloballybytheendof2010.

Satellitesalsoprovide invaluable solutions,particularly for providing capacity in hard-to-reach rural areas and for providing theessentialbackhaulcapacityneededbyotheroperatorstoreachtheircustomers.Recentcatastrophic events have also highlightedto governments the important role playedby satellites for achieving emergencypreparedness and responding to events(suchastheearthquakesinChileandHaitiandthefloodsinPakistan).

Depending on local conditions such asgeographic location, economic prosperity,rural or urban environments and localterrain,thereisaroleforahostofdifferenttechnological solutions in providingbroadband access – from cable to fixedwireless; from satellite to microwave;from xDSL to mobile technologies; andmany more. Policy-makers should seekto adopt a technology-neutral approachas regulation needs to accommodate newupgradesofcurrenttechnologies,aswellasfuture technologieswhichdonotyetexist.Future-proofing technology – as well asthe regulation to copewith the technology– may be impossible to achieve fully, butsome technologies are likely to be morefuture-proof than others (eg, those withgreater transmission capacity). Regulatoryframeworks need to be designed withthis inmind, so the future development ofbroadband is not stifled by bureaucracy,inefficiencyorlackofregulatoryforesight.

Alongside convergence in content,technological convergence means thatdevices such as radios, televisions,telephones,camerasorcomputersareoftennolongeruniqueorevenseparatefromoneanotherinthedigitalera.Smartphoneshaveproved tobegame-changers,combiningamobilephonewithpersonalorganizer,music

player, digital camera and multimediaentertainment with Internet access andemail on the move. Consumers arehaving to adjust their expectations andbehaviour with demand for servicestakingnewforms.

Asthe‘InternetofThings’emerges,driveninpartbynewmonitoring,measurementandreportingactivities–suchasthoseneededtorunsmartgrids,forexample,ormodernpublic transport systems – there will beincreasedinteractionandinterdependencebetween different devices and networks.It is therefore important to recognize thatthe full benefits of broadband cannot berealizedwithoutmaximuminteroperabilityand globally-agreed standards – and toensure that these standards are usedto create and preserve openness andtransparency, rather than proprietaryapplications,devicesorservices.

As well as standards, enforceableinterconnection policies can enableproviders,suppliers,thirdpartiesandend-users to gain the maximum benefits ofubiquitous, always-on connectivity, andenable widespread information-sharingande-business.

Lastly,fromatechnologyperspective,itisessentialtorecognizethatlocalconditionsand the availability of supportingtechnologies are often critical factors indetermining technology choices for theroll-out of broadband infrastructure. Inareaswherethereisnoregularorreliableelectricity supply, for example, there is aneedforcreativepowersolutionstokeepthe network and routers running, aswellas recharging the mobile devices whichconnecttothem.

28 29countries compared with developedcountries. By the end of 2009, fixedbroadband penetration in the developingworldstoodat4percent,comparedwithclose to 23 per cent in the developedworld,accordingtoITUanalysis.

Partlyasaresultofthelimitedavailabilityof Internet bandwidth, broadbandaccess remains prohibitively expensivein many developing countries. In Africa,for example, there is an inverse relationbetween penetration and prices: whilemobile penetration is high, prices arerelatively low.Broadband Internet prices,on the other hand, are very high andpenetration levels are very low. Theprohibitively high price for broadbandservices in Africa clearly remains amajor bottleneck to greater uptake ofbroadbandservices.

Wireless technologies play an importantrole in providing greater connectivity tohigh-capacity networks, particularly inthedevelopingworld.Bytheendof2009,there were around 670 million mobilebroadband subscriptions, of which overa quarter were in the developing world.This trend, as well as with the stronggrowthinsubscriptionsandtheadvancesin wireless technology, highlight growingopportunities for countries to join theinformation society. The demand forradiofrequencyspectrumislikelytogrowrapidly,amajorissuewhichpolicy-makersneedtoaddressurgently–notingthat,asa precious resource, spectrum allocationmustbebasedoncosts,efficiencyofuseandtheneedsofusers.

Broadband networks and services canenable operators to take advantage ofmarket convergence and create newrevenuestreams,whileexpandingaccesstoICTservicesatlowercoststoconsumers.A high-capacity fibre optic packettransport backbone is the fundamentalbackbone infrastructure that countriesneed to deploy to support the growth inbroadbandservices.Developingcountriescan leap-frog and take advantage of thelatest cost-effective and easy-to-deployfibreoptictechnologyinsteadoffollowingtheevolutionarypathtakenbydevelopedcountries. Public-private partnerships(PPPs) can help drive the deploymentof broadband, particularly in rural andunderserved areas. Public investmentsand subsidies in broadband servicesneed to be accompanied by regulationsto ensure effective competition andtransparencyofinformation.

3.3. TECHNology: FUtURE-PROOFiNG tECHNOLOGyInplanningtheroll-outanddeploymentofbroadbandnetworks,itisunlikelythatanysingletechnologywillbeabletoprovidealltheanswers.OpticalfibreisdesirableatthecoreoftheInternet,andforthemajorityofbackhaultraffic,toachieveahigh-capacitybackbone,butattheedgesofthenetwork,andinparticularinthehandsofend-users,it is most likely that mobile devices willdelivermanybroadbandapplicationsandservices. Indeed, this isalready thecase,withnearly900millionmobilebroadbandsubscriptions forecast to be achievedgloballybytheendof2010.

Satellitesalsoprovide invaluable solutions,particularly for providing capacity in hard-to-reach rural areas and for providing theessentialbackhaulcapacityneededbyotheroperatorstoreachtheircustomers.Recentcatastrophic events have also highlightedto governments the important role playedby satellites for achieving emergencypreparedness and responding to events(suchastheearthquakesinChileandHaitiandthefloodsinPakistan).

Depending on local conditions such asgeographic location, economic prosperity,rural or urban environments and localterrain,thereisaroleforahostofdifferenttechnological solutions in providingbroadband access – from cable to fixedwireless; from satellite to microwave;from xDSL to mobile technologies; andmany more. Policy-makers should seekto adopt a technology-neutral approachas regulation needs to accommodate newupgradesofcurrenttechnologies,aswellasfuture technologieswhichdonotyetexist.Future-proofing technology – as well asthe regulation to copewith the technology– may be impossible to achieve fully, butsome technologies are likely to be morefuture-proof than others (eg, those withgreater transmission capacity). Regulatoryframeworks need to be designed withthis inmind, so the future development ofbroadband is not stifled by bureaucracy,inefficiencyorlackofregulatoryforesight.

Alongside convergence in content,technological convergence means thatdevices such as radios, televisions,telephones,camerasorcomputersareoftennolongeruniqueorevenseparatefromoneanotherinthedigitalera.Smartphoneshaveproved tobegame-changers,combiningamobilephonewithpersonalorganizer,music

player, digital camera and multimediaentertainment with Internet access andemail on the move. Consumers arehaving to adjust their expectations andbehaviour with demand for servicestakingnewforms.

Asthe‘InternetofThings’emerges,driveninpartbynewmonitoring,measurementandreportingactivities–suchasthoseneededtorunsmartgrids,forexample,ormodernpublic transport systems – there will beincreasedinteractionandinterdependencebetween different devices and networks.It is therefore important to recognize thatthe full benefits of broadband cannot berealizedwithoutmaximuminteroperabilityand globally-agreed standards – and toensure that these standards are usedto create and preserve openness andtransparency, rather than proprietaryapplications,devicesorservices.

As well as standards, enforceableinterconnection policies can enableproviders,suppliers,thirdpartiesandend-users to gain the maximum benefits ofubiquitous, always-on connectivity, andenable widespread information-sharingande-business.

Lastly,fromatechnologyperspective,itisessentialtorecognizethatlocalconditionsand the availability of supportingtechnologies are often critical factors indetermining technology choices for theroll-out of broadband infrastructure. Inareaswherethereisnoregularorreliableelectricity supply, for example, there is aneedforcreativepowersolutionstokeepthe network and routers running, aswellas recharging the mobile devices whichconnecttothem.

30 313.4. iNNovaTioN: tHE CHaNGiNG NatURE OF iNNOvatiONThe telecommunication industry ischaracterized by constant innovation.Manyvitalinnovationshavebeenmadeinnetwork technologies (eg, DSL, DOCSIS3.0, UMTS, LTE, TCP/IP protocols, IMSand encoding algorithms to mentionjust a few) or in business models (eg,marketing innovations, such as pre-paidtariffs). Without the innovations of pre-paid or flat-rate tariffs by operators andcontent providers, millions of peoplewould not have been able to afford touseICTservices.

The emergence of broadband networksis rewriting the rules for innovation. Toooftenequatedwithhigh-costresearchanddevelopment(R&D)carriedoutintechnicalresearch labs, most innovation (theprocess) and some of themost valuableinnovations (or individual inspirations) infact arise through incremental learningand continual technical improvementsat the grassroots – on the factory floorand elsewhere. ICTs are empoweringconsumers, workers and employees toimprove products and services to thebenefit of all. Broadband in particularoffers the opportunity to accelerate andtransform innovation through faster andmore unrestricted access to advancedservicesandapplications.

Barriers to entry and obstacles toinnovationarebeingloweredoreliminated;ideascanbepublishedandsharedonline;problems can be outsourced or solvedcollaboratively. In the information age,theverynatureofinnovationischanging.

Today, a single piece of software orinnovativedevicecan:

• Create a new market (eg, eBaycreated a global market-place foronlineauctions);

• Takeanexistingmarketonline (eg,ebooks);

• Transform an establishedmarket (eg, Voice over InternetProtocol has revolutionized voicecommunications);or

• Combine existing markets into aconvergedmarketinthedigitalage(eg,smartphonessuccessfullyuniteamobilephonewithadigitalcamerawith a music player and onlineInternetaccess for informationandentertainment).

Broadbandnetworksand the Internetaretransforming the nature of innovation –creative individualswith interest cannowacquire the knowledge and skills neededto innovate in the information societyonline.IfICTsandtheInternetarepopulistand collaborative platforms, innovation islesslikelytobecharacterizedbyhighsunkcostsandlonglead-timesandwillbecomeincreasinglydominatedbyuser-generatedcontent,crowd-sourcingor,putsimply,thestrengthofagoodidea.

Firms’ relationship with innovation isalso changing. Many companies areintroducing collaborative platforms andsocial networking platforms to mine forinnovations and inspirations among theirworkforce,withoutideasgettinglostinthevertical hierarchy. Some companies haveevencloseddowntheirR&Ddepartmentsand transferred their innovation &improvement function to their customers(eg, Lego). More recently, initiatives areemerging uniting network operators

and manufacturers to collaborate withapplicationdevelopersandbusinesses ininnovative business models to generatevaluable innovations (eg, the WholesaleApplications Community or WAC). Opensource code or applications can bedeveloped by online communities ofdeveloperstosolvetheeverydayproblemstheyencounterintheirlivesasconsumers,parents or individuals. As a result, moreefficient processes in business anddevelopment and innovation are startingtoemerge,tailoredtorealneed.

But how can any of these changesin the innovative process help poorercommunities or individuals in developingcountries? Using broadband networks,poorer communities or individuals canbe empowered to voice their challengesonlineforsolutionwiththehelpofothers.Innovativesolutionstopracticalproblems(eg,forabrokenwaterpumporirrigationsystem) can be posted or shared online.The policy emphasis needs to shift fromthe prioritization of formal R&D towardsprioritizing incremental learning, incollaboration with other partners andother people, using the Internet as aplatformforcommunicationandproblem-solving. It is only once the changingnature of innovation is recognized, andbasic functional literacy needs are met,that poorer communities in developingcountriescanreallystarttobenefitfromtheproblem-solvingcapabilitiesoftheworld’slargestinformationexchangenetwork.

3.5 CoNTENT aND aPPliCaTioNs: tHE GROwiNG imPORtaNCE OF CONtENt aND aPPLiCatiONSAs has been witnessed across the ICTworld, connectivity without contentcan make even the most sophisticatedtechnologies irrelevant or of limitedvalue. In today’s virtual world, it is vitalthat governments do not neglect theimportance of content. Policy-makershave to emphasize the developmentof rich and diverse online content andapplications alongside infrastructure andpropose concrete policies and practicesfor inclusionof new languages and toolsforthemeasurementoflinguisticdiversity.Some of the main issues with regardto content include making more onlinematerial accessible in local languages oraccessibletopeoplewithlimitedfunctionalliteracyskills.Thedigitaldivideisaresultnotonlyofalackofaccesstoconnectivityand infrastructure, but also of a lack ofrelevant and locally-developed contentwhich can make a big difference to thelives of ordinary people. It is importanttorecognizethatbroadcastingalsoplaysan importantrole inthedevelopingworldin the creation and dissemination of richmediacontent.

Linguistic diversity on the Internet isgrowing. One of the latest examples ofthe evolution of the multilingual Internetis the introduction in the root of the firstinternationalized country code domainnames. It is expected that millions ofpeoplearoundtheworldwhodonotknowLatinscript-basedlanguagescannowjointhefamilyofexistingInternetusers.

30 313.4. iNNovaTioN: tHE CHaNGiNG NatURE OF iNNOvatiONThe telecommunication industry ischaracterized by constant innovation.Manyvitalinnovationshavebeenmadeinnetwork technologies (eg, DSL, DOCSIS3.0, UMTS, LTE, TCP/IP protocols, IMSand encoding algorithms to mentionjust a few) or in business models (eg,marketing innovations, such as pre-paidtariffs). Without the innovations of pre-paid or flat-rate tariffs by operators andcontent providers, millions of peoplewould not have been able to afford touseICTservices.

The emergence of broadband networksis rewriting the rules for innovation. Toooftenequatedwithhigh-costresearchanddevelopment(R&D)carriedoutintechnicalresearch labs, most innovation (theprocess) and some of themost valuableinnovations (or individual inspirations) infact arise through incremental learningand continual technical improvementsat the grassroots – on the factory floorand elsewhere. ICTs are empoweringconsumers, workers and employees toimprove products and services to thebenefit of all. Broadband in particularoffers the opportunity to accelerate andtransform innovation through faster andmore unrestricted access to advancedservicesandapplications.

Barriers to entry and obstacles toinnovationarebeingloweredoreliminated;ideascanbepublishedandsharedonline;problems can be outsourced or solvedcollaboratively. In the information age,theverynatureofinnovationischanging.

Today, a single piece of software orinnovativedevicecan:

• Create a new market (eg, eBaycreated a global market-place foronlineauctions);

• Takeanexistingmarketonline (eg,ebooks);

• Transform an establishedmarket (eg, Voice over InternetProtocol has revolutionized voicecommunications);or

• Combine existing markets into aconvergedmarketinthedigitalage(eg,smartphonessuccessfullyuniteamobilephonewithadigitalcamerawith a music player and onlineInternetaccess for informationandentertainment).

Broadbandnetworksand the Internetaretransforming the nature of innovation –creative individualswith interest cannowacquire the knowledge and skills neededto innovate in the information societyonline.IfICTsandtheInternetarepopulistand collaborative platforms, innovation islesslikelytobecharacterizedbyhighsunkcostsandlonglead-timesandwillbecomeincreasinglydominatedbyuser-generatedcontent,crowd-sourcingor,putsimply,thestrengthofagoodidea.

Firms’ relationship with innovation isalso changing. Many companies areintroducing collaborative platforms andsocial networking platforms to mine forinnovations and inspirations among theirworkforce,withoutideasgettinglostinthevertical hierarchy. Some companies haveevencloseddowntheirR&Ddepartmentsand transferred their innovation &improvement function to their customers(eg, Lego). More recently, initiatives areemerging uniting network operators

and manufacturers to collaborate withapplicationdevelopersandbusinesses ininnovative business models to generatevaluable innovations (eg, the WholesaleApplications Community or WAC). Opensource code or applications can bedeveloped by online communities ofdeveloperstosolvetheeverydayproblemstheyencounterintheirlivesasconsumers,parents or individuals. As a result, moreefficient processes in business anddevelopment and innovation are startingtoemerge,tailoredtorealneed.

But how can any of these changesin the innovative process help poorercommunities or individuals in developingcountries? Using broadband networks,poorer communities or individuals canbe empowered to voice their challengesonlineforsolutionwiththehelpofothers.Innovativesolutionstopracticalproblems(eg,forabrokenwaterpumporirrigationsystem) can be posted or shared online.The policy emphasis needs to shift fromthe prioritization of formal R&D towardsprioritizing incremental learning, incollaboration with other partners andother people, using the Internet as aplatformforcommunicationandproblem-solving. It is only once the changingnature of innovation is recognized, andbasic functional literacy needs are met,that poorer communities in developingcountriescanreallystarttobenefitfromtheproblem-solvingcapabilitiesoftheworld’slargestinformationexchangenetwork.

3.5 CoNTENT aND aPPliCaTioNs: tHE GROwiNG imPORtaNCE OF CONtENt aND aPPLiCatiONSAs has been witnessed across the ICTworld, connectivity without contentcan make even the most sophisticatedtechnologies irrelevant or of limitedvalue. In today’s virtual world, it is vitalthat governments do not neglect theimportance of content. Policy-makershave to emphasize the developmentof rich and diverse online content andapplications alongside infrastructure andpropose concrete policies and practicesfor inclusionof new languages and toolsforthemeasurementoflinguisticdiversity.Some of the main issues with regardto content include making more onlinematerial accessible in local languages oraccessibletopeoplewithlimitedfunctionalliteracyskills.Thedigitaldivideisaresultnotonlyofalackofaccesstoconnectivityand infrastructure, but also of a lack ofrelevant and locally-developed contentwhich can make a big difference to thelives of ordinary people. It is importanttorecognizethatbroadcastingalsoplaysan importantrole inthedevelopingworldin the creation and dissemination of richmediacontent.

Linguistic diversity on the Internet isgrowing. One of the latest examples ofthe evolution of the multilingual Internetis the introduction in the root of the firstinternationalized country code domainnames. It is expected that millions ofpeoplearoundtheworldwhodonotknowLatinscript-basedlanguagescannowjointhefamilyofexistingInternetusers.

32 33

6 “Internetencyclopaediasgoheadtohead”,Nature438:900–901,JimGiles,December2005at:http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/ n7070/full/438900a.html;“Wikipediasurvivesresearchtest”,BBC,15December2005at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm. 7 Abridgedfrom“MeasuringtheInformationSociety2010”reportpublishedbyITUinMay2010,availableat:www.itu.int.

So there are grounds for optimism. Thechangingnatureof innovation inWeb2.0means that consumers are increasinglywriting and developing their own user-generated content. Communities of full-timeapplicationdevelopersarespringingup, creating applications to suit theirown needs. Meanwhile, opportunities inthe local development of content offerfreshbusinesspossibilitiesforsmall-andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) andfor young entrepreneurs in developingcountries to exploit. At the same time,multilingual content production is closelylinked to complex issues such as theavailability of funding and various typesof other resources at local, national orregional levels and the political, culturaland economic environment. It will beimportanttocontinueloweringthecostsoftechnology,tomakeitmoreaccessibletoallgroupsofsociety,andinparticular,futuregenerations of application developers.Free and open source software is nowavailable that is enabling the creation oflocalizedapplications.

Box 1: Broadband and linguistic diversity7

Available data to measure the linguistic diversity on the Internet suggest that themajorityofcontentontheworldwidewebisproducedandhostedinalimitednumberofcountries,andpublished inonlya limitednumberof languages.Thefigurebelowvisuallyhighlightsthelinguisticdiversityofcyberspacebyshowingthatwhilethereisatotalof7,000 languagesstill inuse intheworld,only41 languagesarerecognizedbyoneoftheworld’smostpopularsearchengines(althoughotherestimatesputthenumberoflanguagessupportedbyGooglehigher,at104languages).Thiscomparesto271languageswithWikipediaentriesand500localizedlanguages.

figUre 2: keY figUreS for laNgUageS oNliNe aNd off-liNe, 2010

Source:ITUWorldTelecommunicationDevelopmentReport2010,basedondatafromEthnologue,SILInternational(SummerInstituteofLinguistics),WikipediaandGoogle.

There isnoagreementamonglinguistsonthesizeofthe languageuniverse,butthefigures usually range between 6,000 and 9,000, due to difficulties in distinguishingbetweendialectsand languages.Thenumberof localized languages isanestimate.Many sources also stipulate that there is a huge number of endangered languages.The latesteditionof theAtlasof theWorld’sLanguages inDanger listsabout2,500languages (including some 230 languages which have become extinct since 1950),approaching the generally-accepted estimate of some 3,000 endangered languagesworldwide (source: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00139).The Internetcanbeseenalsoas tool for languageconservationandpreservation, ifdigitalizationcanbeundertakensoonenough.

The power of collaborative onlineservicestocrowd-source,mineforideasand produce a coherent product frommultiple disparate inputs is illustratedbyservicessuchasYouTube,FacebookandWikipedia,theonlineencyclopaediawritten mainly by volunteers. Althoughit has faced quality control issues ofreliability, bias and accuracy, one studybyNaturemagazinefoundthatWikipediahadanaccuracyrateclosetothatoftheEncyclopaediaBritannica.6Suchservicesillustrate the growing power of crowd-sourcedservicestoprovidediverse,yetcoherentproducts.

32 33

6 “Internetencyclopaediasgoheadtohead”,Nature438:900–901,JimGiles,December2005at:http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/ n7070/full/438900a.html;“Wikipediasurvivesresearchtest”,BBC,15December2005at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm. 7 Abridgedfrom“MeasuringtheInformationSociety2010”reportpublishedbyITUinMay2010,availableat:www.itu.int.

So there are grounds for optimism. Thechangingnatureof innovation inWeb2.0means that consumers are increasinglywriting and developing their own user-generated content. Communities of full-timeapplicationdevelopersarespringingup, creating applications to suit theirown needs. Meanwhile, opportunities inthe local development of content offerfreshbusinesspossibilitiesforsmall-andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) andfor young entrepreneurs in developingcountries to exploit. At the same time,multilingual content production is closelylinked to complex issues such as theavailability of funding and various typesof other resources at local, national orregional levels and the political, culturaland economic environment. It will beimportanttocontinueloweringthecostsoftechnology,tomakeitmoreaccessibletoallgroupsofsociety,andinparticular,futuregenerations of application developers.Free and open source software is nowavailable that is enabling the creation oflocalizedapplications.

Box 1: Broadband and linguistic diversity7

Available data to measure the linguistic diversity on the Internet suggest that themajorityofcontentontheworldwidewebisproducedandhostedinalimitednumberofcountries,andpublished inonlya limitednumberof languages.Thefigurebelowvisuallyhighlightsthelinguisticdiversityofcyberspacebyshowingthatwhilethereisatotalof7,000 languagesstill inuse intheworld,only41 languagesarerecognizedbyoneoftheworld’smostpopularsearchengines(althoughotherestimatesputthenumberoflanguagessupportedbyGooglehigher,at104languages).Thiscomparesto271languageswithWikipediaentriesand500localizedlanguages.

figUre 2: keY figUreS for laNgUageS oNliNe aNd off-liNe, 2010

Source:ITUWorldTelecommunicationDevelopmentReport2010,basedondatafromEthnologue,SILInternational(SummerInstituteofLinguistics),WikipediaandGoogle.

There isnoagreementamonglinguistsonthesizeofthe languageuniverse,butthefigures usually range between 6,000 and 9,000, due to difficulties in distinguishingbetweendialectsand languages.Thenumberof localized languages isanestimate.Many sources also stipulate that there is a huge number of endangered languages.The latesteditionof theAtlasof theWorld’sLanguages inDanger listsabout2,500languages (including some 230 languages which have become extinct since 1950),approaching the generally-accepted estimate of some 3,000 endangered languagesworldwide (source: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00139).The Internetcanbeseenalsoas tool for languageconservationandpreservation, ifdigitalizationcanbeundertakensoonenough.

The power of collaborative onlineservicestocrowd-source,mineforideasand produce a coherent product frommultiple disparate inputs is illustratedbyservicessuchasYouTube,FacebookandWikipedia,theonlineencyclopaediawritten mainly by volunteers. Althoughit has faced quality control issues ofreliability, bias and accuracy, one studybyNaturemagazinefoundthatWikipediahadanaccuracyrateclosetothatoftheEncyclopaediaBritannica.6Suchservicesillustrate the growing power of crowd-sourcedservicestoprovidediverse,yetcoherentproducts.

34 35

Box 2: The most popular languages on the internet

The distribution of Internet users by language further suggests that a few majorlanguagesaredominatingtheonlineworld.Thelargestshare(about30percent)ofInternetusersspeakEnglish, followedbyChinese(20percent)andSpanish(8percent)andthetoptenlanguagesbyInternetusersmakeupsome84percentofallInternetusers.Atthesametime,thepercentageofEnglish-speakingInternetusersdroppedfrom80percentin1996to30percentin2007,reflectingthefactthatanincreasingnumberofnon-Englishspeakersaregoingonline.

figUre 3: top teN laNgUageS (bY iNterNet USerS) oN the iNterNet, 2009

Source:InternetWorldStats,quotedinITUWorldTelecommunicationDevelopmentReport2010.

3.6. PEoPlE: bUiLDiNG tHE NEtwORk OF iDEaS aND iNFORmatiONModern ICTs are proving to have atransformational effect on people’s lives.The Internet has been described by oneobserver as “an explosion of capacitythrustintothehandsofpeopleworldwide,the instrument not only for the greatestoutburst of creativity and self-expressionever seen, but also of the greatestautonomy and self-determination, aswell as an unparalleled mechanism forcooperationandcohesion”.8

One of the greatest contributions ofbroadband to global development willbe that it provides a platform whichcan exponentially increase the ability ofpeopletocreateandexchangeideasandknowledge. Just as the wonders of thebrain cannot be understood by studyingindividual neurons, the benefits accruedfrombroadbandgofarbeyondindividuals— in particular, ideas and creativity andself-expression emerge out of linkagesbetweenpeople,aswellascomplexityofthoselinkages.

Throughout history, the real engine ofhuman progress has been the “meetingand mating of ideas to make newideas”.9Ithasbeenarguedthatit isevenunimportant how clever individuals are— what really matters is their collectiveintelligence. Therefore, our objectiveshould be a highly interconnected worldofcreativity,ideasandknowledgetohelpus address the challenges set out in theMDGs. To that end, broadband inclusionfor all is a fundamental component of

the global development agenda withtransformationalpotential,forexample,ine-learning,e-literacyande-skills.

From a people perspective, what isneeded to build this network of ideas?How can people contribute their humancapital to thisphenomenon?Twodistinctsetsofneedsareapparent.Thefirstisthespecialized human capacity, knowledgeandskillstobuildoutbroadbandnetworks- whether from a policy, regulatory,businessortechnicalperspective.

The second is the human capacity,knowledge and skills to use and benefitfrom these networks – which should beconsideredpartofnormalcognitiveskillsdevelopment, whether through normaleducation or lifelong learning. In bothscenarios,ICTsarepartofavirtuouscircle– because access to broadband helpspeople to exchange ideas, creativity andknowledge about how to build, use andleverageICTs.

Investing inbroadband isnotnecessarilyan investment in infrastructure,butratheraninvestmentinpeople.Forbroadbandisreallyan investment inan interconnectedworldofideasandknowledgethatcanbespreadinsecondsfromonecorneroftheearthtoanother—the“meetingandmatingofideastomakenewideas”.Andinvestinginpeopleandtheirideastosolvetheirownproblemscontributesmoretoempoweringthosepeopleandmakingprogress in theglobaldevelopmentagenda thanvirtuallyanythingelsepolicy-makerscando.

8 StephenDownes’blog,availableat:http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2010/06/gathering-of-ideas.html.

9 AuthorMattRidley,attheTechnology,Entertainment,Design(TED)Global2010conference

34 35

Box 2: The most popular languages on the internet

The distribution of Internet users by language further suggests that a few majorlanguagesaredominatingtheonlineworld.Thelargestshare(about30percent)ofInternetusersspeakEnglish, followedbyChinese(20percent)andSpanish(8percent)andthetoptenlanguagesbyInternetusersmakeupsome84percentofallInternetusers.Atthesametime,thepercentageofEnglish-speakingInternetusersdroppedfrom80percentin1996to30percentin2007,reflectingthefactthatanincreasingnumberofnon-Englishspeakersaregoingonline.

figUre 3: top teN laNgUageS (bY iNterNet USerS) oN the iNterNet, 2009

Source:InternetWorldStats,quotedinITUWorldTelecommunicationDevelopmentReport2010.

3.6. PEoPlE: bUiLDiNG tHE NEtwORk OF iDEaS aND iNFORmatiONModern ICTs are proving to have atransformational effect on people’s lives.The Internet has been described by oneobserver as “an explosion of capacitythrustintothehandsofpeopleworldwide,the instrument not only for the greatestoutburst of creativity and self-expressionever seen, but also of the greatestautonomy and self-determination, aswell as an unparalleled mechanism forcooperationandcohesion”.8

One of the greatest contributions ofbroadband to global development willbe that it provides a platform whichcan exponentially increase the ability ofpeopletocreateandexchangeideasandknowledge. Just as the wonders of thebrain cannot be understood by studyingindividual neurons, the benefits accruedfrombroadbandgofarbeyondindividuals— in particular, ideas and creativity andself-expression emerge out of linkagesbetweenpeople,aswellascomplexityofthoselinkages.

Throughout history, the real engine ofhuman progress has been the “meetingand mating of ideas to make newideas”.9Ithasbeenarguedthatit isevenunimportant how clever individuals are— what really matters is their collectiveintelligence. Therefore, our objectiveshould be a highly interconnected worldofcreativity,ideasandknowledgetohelpus address the challenges set out in theMDGs. To that end, broadband inclusionfor all is a fundamental component of

the global development agenda withtransformationalpotential,forexample,ine-learning,e-literacyande-skills.

From a people perspective, what isneeded to build this network of ideas?How can people contribute their humancapital to thisphenomenon?Twodistinctsetsofneedsareapparent.Thefirstisthespecialized human capacity, knowledgeandskillstobuildoutbroadbandnetworks- whether from a policy, regulatory,businessortechnicalperspective.

The second is the human capacity,knowledge and skills to use and benefitfrom these networks – which should beconsideredpartofnormalcognitiveskillsdevelopment, whether through normaleducation or lifelong learning. In bothscenarios,ICTsarepartofavirtuouscircle– because access to broadband helpspeople to exchange ideas, creativity andknowledge about how to build, use andleverageICTs.

Investing inbroadband isnotnecessarilyan investment in infrastructure,butratheraninvestmentinpeople.Forbroadbandisreallyan investment inan interconnectedworldofideasandknowledgethatcanbespreadinsecondsfromonecorneroftheearthtoanother—the“meetingandmatingofideastomakenewideas”.Andinvestinginpeopleandtheirideastosolvetheirownproblemscontributesmoretoempoweringthosepeopleandmakingprogress in theglobaldevelopmentagenda thanvirtuallyanythingelsepolicy-makerscando.

8 StephenDownes’blog,availableat:http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2010/06/gathering-of-ideas.html.

9 AuthorMattRidley,attheTechnology,Entertainment,Design(TED)Global2010conference

36 373.7. govErNMENT: GOvERNmENt CaN takE tHE LEaD iN CREatiNG bROaDbaND DEmaNDGovernment plays a special role inmany developing countries in creatingdemand for next-generation broadbandservices. Building out fixed broadbandinfrastructuretypicallyinvolveslarge-scaleinvestments over long-time horizons andthe private sector benefits from morecertainprospectsinitsattemptstofinanceandrolloutsuchinfrastructure.

If governments can aggregate theirconnectivity needs over the NationalBroadband Networks (NBN), they canmake the business case for nationalinfrastructure more compelling. This isespeciallythecaseindevelopingcountries,where government is usually one of themajor users of broadband infrastructure,but it is increasingly also the case inindustrialized countries and transitioneconomies, including Azerbaijan, NewZealandandSingapore.

Moving government services onlineoffers the prospect of revitalizing publicadministration and improving the speed,efficiency and effectiveness of servicedelivery. More fundamentally, it alsopromises to transform the way in whichcitizens relate to their governments andpolicy-makers, by making the work ofpoliticians and civil servantsmore publicand transparent. Governments areincreasinglyhavingtorespondtogrowingexpectations for communication withtech-savvycitizens.

The UN Department for Economic andSocial Affairs (UNDESA) notes that whileon-demand access to public servicesover the Internet is now a norm inmanydeveloped countries, barriers persist inmanyLDCs,duetothecostoftechnology,lack of infrastructure, limited humancapital,aweakprivatesectorandapaucityofpublicsectorresources.10

However, exceptions exist, such ase-education in Bangladesh and Ethiopia,andm-health inRwanda.UNDESAnotesthat these experiences demonstrate thatsignificant gains can be realized in LDCswhere there are legal and regulatoryframeworks in place, including morespecifically an e-government strategywith clearly identified sectoral prioritiesaligned with national development goals.Forexample,Ethiopiahasnowconnectednearly600localadministrationstoregionaland federaloffices, linked450secondaryschools to a national education network,and provided some 16,000 villages withaccesstobroadbandservices.11

For many users, however, the potentialof e-government goes far beyond basicconnectivity and relies on developingserviceswhichpeoplewant, in their locallanguages. Countries which have madea determined effort to develop localscript and language tables, content andapplicationshaveseenasignificantsurgein theusageof ICTs.Broadbanddemandis thus intrinsically linked to the creationoflocalcontent,servicesandapplicationswhichcitizens thencan leverage for theirown progress. Technology will never beany substitute, however, for ethical andcooperativepublicsectorservicedelivery,whichcanonlybeledfromthetopechelonsofgovernment.

10&11 P.4,UNE-governmentsurvey2010,availableat:http://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/documents/2010/E_Gov_2010_Complete.pdf.

36 373.7. govErNMENT: GOvERNmENt CaN takE tHE LEaD iN CREatiNG bROaDbaND DEmaNDGovernment plays a special role inmany developing countries in creatingdemand for next-generation broadbandservices. Building out fixed broadbandinfrastructuretypicallyinvolveslarge-scaleinvestments over long-time horizons andthe private sector benefits from morecertainprospectsinitsattemptstofinanceandrolloutsuchinfrastructure.

If governments can aggregate theirconnectivity needs over the NationalBroadband Networks (NBN), they canmake the business case for nationalinfrastructure more compelling. This isespeciallythecaseindevelopingcountries,where government is usually one of themajor users of broadband infrastructure,but it is increasingly also the case inindustrialized countries and transitioneconomies, including Azerbaijan, NewZealandandSingapore.

Moving government services onlineoffers the prospect of revitalizing publicadministration and improving the speed,efficiency and effectiveness of servicedelivery. More fundamentally, it alsopromises to transform the way in whichcitizens relate to their governments andpolicy-makers, by making the work ofpoliticians and civil servantsmore publicand transparent. Governments areincreasinglyhavingtorespondtogrowingexpectations for communication withtech-savvycitizens.

The UN Department for Economic andSocial Affairs (UNDESA) notes that whileon-demand access to public servicesover the Internet is now a norm inmanydeveloped countries, barriers persist inmanyLDCs,duetothecostoftechnology,lack of infrastructure, limited humancapital,aweakprivatesectorandapaucityofpublicsectorresources.10

However, exceptions exist, such ase-education in Bangladesh and Ethiopia,andm-health inRwanda.UNDESAnotesthat these experiences demonstrate thatsignificant gains can be realized in LDCswhere there are legal and regulatoryframeworks in place, including morespecifically an e-government strategywith clearly identified sectoral prioritiesaligned with national development goals.Forexample,Ethiopiahasnowconnectednearly600localadministrationstoregionaland federaloffices, linked450secondaryschools to a national education network,and provided some 16,000 villages withaccesstobroadbandservices.11

For many users, however, the potentialof e-government goes far beyond basicconnectivity and relies on developingserviceswhichpeoplewant, in their locallanguages. Countries which have madea determined effort to develop localscript and language tables, content andapplicationshaveseenasignificantsurgein theusageof ICTs.Broadbanddemandis thus intrinsically linked to the creationoflocalcontent,servicesandapplicationswhichcitizens thencan leverage for theirown progress. Technology will never beany substitute, however, for ethical andcooperativepublicsectorservicedelivery,whichcanonlybeledfromthetopechelonsofgovernment.

10&11 P.4,UNE-governmentsurvey2010,availableat:http://www2.unpan.org/egovkb/documents/2010/E_Gov_2010_Complete.pdf.

39

BrOADBAND AND ThE iNTErLiNKED AND iNTErDEpENDENT mDG AGENDA

4 The remodelling of the iCT 4 Development landscape in real- time presents key challenges and opportunities to all players. Each must chart a path toward digital inclusion through unknown terrain.

For major donor agencies who havebeenstruggling to incorporate ICT intotheir official development assistance(ODA) strategies, the MDGs providea welcome compass. After years ofexperimentationonICTsinoftenstand-alone,oftenunsustainablepilotprojects,attentionisnowbeingdrawntotheneedto leverage ICTs for poverty reductionstrategiesandtheMDGsthroughafocuson integration, scaling and replication.And broadband provides a new andinnovativeentrypoint.

From experience, it is clear that ICTand technology ‘push’ projects havegenerally been ill-suited to fulfilling therequirements of the MDGs. Rather,‘pulling’ ICTs and now broadband intodevelopmentprojectswhereappropriateand relevant at an early stage – often

with a mix of traditional and new mediaand achieved through multi-stakeholderpartnerships–toachievegreaterefficiencyandimprovedservicedeliverywillhavefargreaterpovertyimpact.

In practice, any blueprint for a nationale-development strategy will comprisea number of essential elements: a cleare-strategy vision championed at thehighest political level; a multi-stakeholderapproach to enhance results; a cross-sectoralholisticstrategy;realisticprioritiesfor e-strategy actions and programmes;simplified implementation modalities;nationalandinternationalcooperationandpartnershipsforaprioritizedandnationally-owned e-strategy; global inclusion ofdevelopingcountriesandICTinODA;ICTtofacilitateregionalintegrationandregionalintegration to facilitate ICT deployment;telecommunication and ICT policycohesion, convergence, and low-costcuttingedgesolutions;andanoverarchingfocusonachievingtheMDGsthemselves.

SowhatisthecriticalroleofknowledgeandinformationineconomicandhumanwelfarewithrespecttotheMDGs?HowcanICTandtheMDGspracticallycontributetoempowerstakeholdersinthePRSPprocess,improvetheefficiencyofpublicandprivateservicedelivery,andenhancelivelihoods?TowhatextentshouldICT4Developmentpriorities,policies and practices differ with respectto ‘off-track’ versus ‘on-track’ developingcountries?Thesekeyquestionsmustnowberevisitedinthebroadbandcontext.

Yet resistance by government andbusiness to full acceptance of the criticalrole tobeplayedby ICT insupportof theMDGsmustquicklybedisplacedbyharddata ondevelopment impact and the realpotential to scale up and replicate.While

39

BrOADBAND AND ThE iNTErLiNKED AND iNTErDEpENDENT mDG AGENDA

4 The remodelling of the iCT 4 Development landscape in real- time presents key challenges and opportunities to all players. Each must chart a path toward digital inclusion through unknown terrain.

For major donor agencies who havebeenstruggling to incorporate ICT intotheir official development assistance(ODA) strategies, the MDGs providea welcome compass. After years ofexperimentationonICTsinoftenstand-alone,oftenunsustainablepilotprojects,attentionisnowbeingdrawntotheneedto leverage ICTs for poverty reductionstrategiesandtheMDGsthroughafocuson integration, scaling and replication.And broadband provides a new andinnovativeentrypoint.

From experience, it is clear that ICTand technology ‘push’ projects havegenerally been ill-suited to fulfilling therequirements of the MDGs. Rather,‘pulling’ ICTs and now broadband intodevelopmentprojectswhereappropriateand relevant at an early stage – often

with a mix of traditional and new mediaand achieved through multi-stakeholderpartnerships–toachievegreaterefficiencyandimprovedservicedeliverywillhavefargreaterpovertyimpact.

In practice, any blueprint for a nationale-development strategy will comprisea number of essential elements: a cleare-strategy vision championed at thehighest political level; a multi-stakeholderapproach to enhance results; a cross-sectoralholisticstrategy;realisticprioritiesfor e-strategy actions and programmes;simplified implementation modalities;nationalandinternationalcooperationandpartnershipsforaprioritizedandnationally-owned e-strategy; global inclusion ofdevelopingcountriesandICTinODA;ICTtofacilitateregionalintegrationandregionalintegration to facilitate ICT deployment;telecommunication and ICT policycohesion, convergence, and low-costcuttingedgesolutions;andanoverarchingfocusonachievingtheMDGsthemselves.

SowhatisthecriticalroleofknowledgeandinformationineconomicandhumanwelfarewithrespecttotheMDGs?HowcanICTandtheMDGspracticallycontributetoempowerstakeholdersinthePRSPprocess,improvetheefficiencyofpublicandprivateservicedelivery,andenhancelivelihoods?TowhatextentshouldICT4Developmentpriorities,policies and practices differ with respectto ‘off-track’ versus ‘on-track’ developingcountries?Thesekeyquestionsmustnowberevisitedinthebroadbandcontext.

Yet resistance by government andbusiness to full acceptance of the criticalrole tobeplayedby ICT insupportof theMDGsmustquicklybedisplacedbyharddata ondevelopment impact and the realpotential to scale up and replicate.While

40 41significantanecdotalevidencehasalreadybeen amassed in this direction, majorefforts are now underway to producesystematic measurement criteria. Today,mainstreamingICTandbroadbandfortheachievement of the MDGs remains verymuchaworkinprogress,andthisSectiondescribesthegenericdevelopmentimpactacrossalleightMDGs.

Progress towards achieving each of theMDGs can be accelerated with ICTs ingeneral,andbroadbandinparticular.Thisis not because ICTs and broadband areendsinthemselves,butbecausetheyactas enablers like no other technology inthe modern world – bringing healthcare,education and government services topeople wherever they live, as well asleveraging training opportunities aroundtheworld.

Mobile cellular has proved to be themost widespread and fastest-adoptedtechnology in history, with five billionmobilesubscriptionsgloballyin2010,anda household penetration rate of over 50per cent in many developing countries.Mobiletelephonyisempoweringbillionsofindividualsworldwidebyenablingthemtoentertheworkforce,earnalivingorworkmoreefficiently,andbenefitedmillionsofcommunitiesworldwide.

The next step is to bridge the Internetdivide, and especially the broadbanddivide, in the same way that we are sosuccessfully bridging the mobile divide.With ICTs and broadband, successfulefforts to advance theMDG agenda canthenbescaledupand replicatedaroundtheglobe.

goal 1: ERaDiCatE ExtREmE POvERty aND HUNGERWhileaccesstoICTsandbroadbandmaybeseenbysomeas lessurgentprioritiesthan meeting the basic needs of foodand shelter, it is increasingly the casethat information poverty – especially indevelopingcountries–canactuallyleadtoandcontributetopovertyandhunger.

Between 1998 and 2008, the globalnumber of working poor – workers livingwiththeirfamiliesonlessthanUS$1.25aday–fellfrom944to632million,orfrom38percentto21percentoftotalworkers.However,asaresultoftheeconomicandfinancialcrisis,itisestimatedthatin2009,thisnumberincreasedbyupto215million,reversingmuch of the progress achievedduring thepreviousdecade.Globally, thenumber of hungry people rose from 842millionin1990-1992to1.02billionpeoplein2009,12ofwhichthelargemajoritywerewomenandgirls.

Access to knowledge assets such asinformation, know-how, market pricedata, and basic healthcare and nutritionguidelinescandramatically improve livingstandards and bring people out of thepovertytrap–andICTsandbroadbandarekeytomakingthishappen.

Availabledatasuggestastrongandpositivecorrelation between communicationsand levels of development. At themicro-level, studies from Africa and Indiaconsistentlyshowthat,evenforverysmallfarming and fishing businesses, market-matching efficiencies will apply whentherearegoodcommunicationlinks.Such

‘disintermediation’ cuts out middlemen,resulting inhigherprofitsandrewardsforfarmers and producers and lower pricesfor consumers when price information issharedon-demandviamobilephonesandtextmessaging.

Sincewomenaremoreaffectedbypovertythan men, enabling women to createand/orenteremploymentisaneffectivestrategytocombatpoverty,andICTsandbroadband are key to helping womenbecome functionally literate for greateraccess to skills training. The experienceof theGrameenBank inBangladeshhasshown that women with experience ofevenbasicmobilephonesaremorelikelytobewillingtouseandbenefitfromotherICTsforinformationorworkopportunities.

goal 2: aCHiEvE UNivErsal PriMary EDUCaTioN

Even as many poor countries maketremendous strides, hope is dimming forUniversal Primary Education (UPE) by2015. Although 89 per cent of childrenin thedevelopingworldarenowenrolledin primary education, some regions – inparticular,countriesinsub-SaharanAfrica–willseeadrop-outrateofupto30percentbeforethefinalgrade.13Anddemandfrom thosewho continue in education isnowputtingpressureon thenextstep inthesystem:secondaryeducation.

Broadbandoffersapotentialsolutionintheability to deliver education in developinganddevelopedcountriesalike.Broadbandnetworks can deliver information,

interactivity, shared resources and helpleveltheplayingfieldforeveryone.

Online education is easing the resourcebottleneck in training teachers; UNESCOestimates suggest that as many as 10millionadditional teacherswillbeneededgloballybythe2015MDGdeadline.14Manycountriesarealreadyactivelypursuinganintensive programme of teacher trainingonline, but more needs to be done: inparticular, access to broadband needsto rapidly become more affordable,particularlyinthedevelopingworld.PPPsdesignednotonlyforstudentsbutalsoforthe communities inwhich they live (suchas ITU’s Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative)canachieveagreatdeal in accelerating progress towardsbridgingthebroadbanddivide.

Using ICTs and broadband to advanceuniversalprimaryeducationdoesnotneedto be limited to boys and girls, but canalso includemen andwomenwho neverhad the chance to attend school – andstudies consistently show that literate,educatedwomenaremorelikelytoensurethattheirchildrenattendschool.ICTsandbroadbandalsoenableinclusiveeducationofpersonswithdisabilities.

Around the world, m-learning ande-learning over broadband networks isgrowing, with mobile network growthcontinuingtooutpacefixed-linenetworks,and the number of mobile broadbandsubscriptions approaching 900 million in2010.Mobilephonesoffertheadvantagesofalreadybeinginbillionsofhandsinthedeveloping world and offering relativelywell-deployed and stable networkinfrastructures. Many schools that havebeenusingTVandradiosystemsarenow

13 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals.

14 Source:WorldTelecommunication/ICTDevelopmentReport2010,availableathttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/wtdr_10.

12 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals.

40 41significantanecdotalevidencehasalreadybeen amassed in this direction, majorefforts are now underway to producesystematic measurement criteria. Today,mainstreamingICTandbroadbandfortheachievement of the MDGs remains verymuchaworkinprogress,andthisSectiondescribesthegenericdevelopmentimpactacrossalleightMDGs.

Progress towards achieving each of theMDGs can be accelerated with ICTs ingeneral,andbroadbandinparticular.Thisis not because ICTs and broadband areendsinthemselves,butbecausetheyactas enablers like no other technology inthe modern world – bringing healthcare,education and government services topeople wherever they live, as well asleveraging training opportunities aroundtheworld.

Mobile cellular has proved to be themost widespread and fastest-adoptedtechnology in history, with five billionmobilesubscriptionsgloballyin2010,anda household penetration rate of over 50per cent in many developing countries.Mobiletelephonyisempoweringbillionsofindividualsworldwidebyenablingthemtoentertheworkforce,earnalivingorworkmoreefficiently,andbenefitedmillionsofcommunitiesworldwide.

The next step is to bridge the Internetdivide, and especially the broadbanddivide, in the same way that we are sosuccessfully bridging the mobile divide.With ICTs and broadband, successfulefforts to advance theMDG agenda canthenbescaledupand replicatedaroundtheglobe.

goal 1: ERaDiCatE ExtREmE POvERty aND HUNGERWhileaccesstoICTsandbroadbandmaybeseenbysomeas lessurgentprioritiesthan meeting the basic needs of foodand shelter, it is increasingly the casethat information poverty – especially indevelopingcountries–canactuallyleadtoandcontributetopovertyandhunger.

Between 1998 and 2008, the globalnumber of working poor – workers livingwiththeirfamiliesonlessthanUS$1.25aday–fellfrom944to632million,orfrom38percentto21percentoftotalworkers.However,asaresultoftheeconomicandfinancialcrisis,itisestimatedthatin2009,thisnumberincreasedbyupto215million,reversingmuch of the progress achievedduring thepreviousdecade.Globally, thenumber of hungry people rose from 842millionin1990-1992to1.02billionpeoplein2009,12ofwhichthelargemajoritywerewomenandgirls.

Access to knowledge assets such asinformation, know-how, market pricedata, and basic healthcare and nutritionguidelinescandramatically improve livingstandards and bring people out of thepovertytrap–andICTsandbroadbandarekeytomakingthishappen.

Availabledatasuggestastrongandpositivecorrelation between communicationsand levels of development. At themicro-level, studies from Africa and Indiaconsistentlyshowthat,evenforverysmallfarming and fishing businesses, market-matching efficiencies will apply whentherearegoodcommunicationlinks.Such

‘disintermediation’ cuts out middlemen,resulting inhigherprofitsandrewardsforfarmers and producers and lower pricesfor consumers when price information issharedon-demandviamobilephonesandtextmessaging.

Sincewomenaremoreaffectedbypovertythan men, enabling women to createand/orenteremploymentisaneffectivestrategytocombatpoverty,andICTsandbroadband are key to helping womenbecome functionally literate for greateraccess to skills training. The experienceof theGrameenBank inBangladeshhasshown that women with experience ofevenbasicmobilephonesaremorelikelytobewillingtouseandbenefitfromotherICTsforinformationorworkopportunities.

goal 2: aCHiEvE UNivErsal PriMary EDUCaTioN

Even as many poor countries maketremendous strides, hope is dimming forUniversal Primary Education (UPE) by2015. Although 89 per cent of childrenin thedevelopingworldarenowenrolledin primary education, some regions – inparticular,countriesinsub-SaharanAfrica–willseeadrop-outrateofupto30percentbeforethefinalgrade.13Anddemandfrom thosewho continue in education isnowputtingpressureon thenextstep inthesystem:secondaryeducation.

Broadbandoffersapotentialsolutionintheability to deliver education in developinganddevelopedcountriesalike.Broadbandnetworks can deliver information,

interactivity, shared resources and helpleveltheplayingfieldforeveryone.

Online education is easing the resourcebottleneck in training teachers; UNESCOestimates suggest that as many as 10millionadditional teacherswillbeneededgloballybythe2015MDGdeadline.14Manycountriesarealreadyactivelypursuinganintensive programme of teacher trainingonline, but more needs to be done: inparticular, access to broadband needsto rapidly become more affordable,particularlyinthedevelopingworld.PPPsdesignednotonlyforstudentsbutalsoforthe communities inwhich they live (suchas ITU’s Connect a School, Connect a Community initiative)canachieveagreatdeal in accelerating progress towardsbridgingthebroadbanddivide.

Using ICTs and broadband to advanceuniversalprimaryeducationdoesnotneedto be limited to boys and girls, but canalso includemen andwomenwho neverhad the chance to attend school – andstudies consistently show that literate,educatedwomenaremorelikelytoensurethattheirchildrenattendschool.ICTsandbroadbandalsoenableinclusiveeducationofpersonswithdisabilities.

Around the world, m-learning ande-learning over broadband networks isgrowing, with mobile network growthcontinuingtooutpacefixed-linenetworks,and the number of mobile broadbandsubscriptions approaching 900 million in2010.Mobilephonesoffertheadvantagesofalreadybeinginbillionsofhandsinthedeveloping world and offering relativelywell-deployed and stable networkinfrastructures. Many schools that havebeenusingTVandradiosystemsarenow

13 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals.

14 Source:WorldTelecommunication/ICTDevelopmentReport2010,availableathttp://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/wtdr_10.

12 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals.

42 43switchingtoonlinelearningopportunities,due to their inherent interactivity.Broadband-enabled ICT applicationsshould be seen both as a pedagogicaltool and as a discipline in their ownright for the development of effectiveeducationalservices.

goal 3: PROmOtE GENDER EqUaLity aND EmPOwER wOmENIn many emerging economies and ruralareas, women remain economically andsociallymarginalizedandunder-educated,sufferingfromrelativelypooremploymentprospects. While many countries haveachieved or nearly achieved primaryschool gender equality – the enrolmentgapnarrowedfrom91girlsto96girlsforevery 100 boys in the developing worldbetween 1999 and 2008 – progress stillremains slow in other areas. Womenare disproportionately represented invulnerable or insecure employment. Insome countries, women represent only20 per cent of the workforce employedoutsideagriculture,whilewithinagriculture,incomesremainlow.15

ICTsandbroadbandarekeytoachievingempowerment and gender equality.They provide an excellent means ofopening up opportunities in educationand employment, as well as access toinformation, and have the potential toneutralize much of the discriminationtraditionally faced by women. TheflexibilityprovidedbytheuseofICTsandbroadband in education and work can

enable women to better fulfil their workcommitments, and can help overcomeissuesofmobility.ICTsandbroadbandcanalsobeusedto influencepublicattitudestogenderequality,createopportunitiesforwomen as educators and activists, andenhanceopportunitiesfornetworkingandorganizing for gender equality, aswell asfemaleparticipationinpoliticalprocesses.

ICTsandbroadbandaredirectlyrelevanttoempowermentandgenderequalityinbothcause and effect – increasing women’saccess to ICTs and broadband will helpachieve these goals, and achievinggender equality will help increasewomen’s access to ICTs and broadband.Key stakeholders must develop gender-focused or gender-neutral technologyand application programmes to ensurethat broadband mitigates, and does notwiden,gendergaps.

goal 4: REDUCE CHiLD mORtaLityIn many regions of the world, includingNorthernAfrica,EastAsia,South-EasternAsia, Latin America and the Caribbean,childmortalityrateshavemorethanhalvedsince1990,butglobally, the fall hasonlybeen28percent,which isstillwellshortof the target of a two-thirds reduction.16

Tragically, most of the major causes ofchildmortality –malnutrition, pneumonia,malaria, diarrhoea, measles, HIV/AIDS,tetanus – are treatable, but communitieslackboththeresourcesandtheknowledgeto treat them.Children’s health is closelycorrelatedwithmaternalhealthand(moreloosely)withmaternaleducation.

Given that thereare rarelyenoughhealthpractitioners to serve everyone in needof healthcare, ICTs and broadband areessential for bridging this gap.Advancesin modern medical technology usuallyrequire large amounts of money, buttelemedicine can make a huge impactwithrelativelysimplelow-costtechnology.Justonecomputer,ascannerandadigitalcamera, for example, can transform ahospital, making a real difference whereitcounts.Itisalsoimportanttoautomatesystemsproperlyinhospitals(eg,throughtheuseofEntrepriseResourcePlanningorERP) to minimize the manual paperworkinoffices,clinics,healthcentresetc. thatcancausedelaysandqueuesinprovidinghealthservicestopatients.

Mobile technology can also be used todisseminate basic health and sanitaryinformation to parents (such as vaccinereminders, and advice on maternalhygieneandnutrition);totrainintermediaryhealthcare workers and rural doctors; totrackdiseaseandepidemicoutbreaks;tomonitorpatients remotely; and to remindpatientsabouttheneedtotakemedicinesorcomeinforacheck-up.

Toleveragethefullpoweroftelemedicine,broadband is needed to enable doctorsto share images and diagnose patientshundredsofmilesawayusingtechnologiessuchasvideo-conferencing,forexample.A number of developing countries – forexample,KenyaandRwanda–arealreadyprioritizing broadband as a platform forfuture health service delivery in a bid toimprove patient care, dissolve distanceandbringtelemedicinetotensofmillionsofpeople,therebyreducingchildmortality.

goal 5: imPROvE matERNaL HEaLtHMore than half a million women dieeveryyearasaresultofcomplications inpregnancyandchildbirth,almostalloftheminthedevelopingworld.17Thevastmajorityofthesedeathsarepreventable.Althoughmaternalmortalityratesarefalling,therateof reduction is still considerably short ofthe5.5percentdeclineneededannuallytomeettheMDGtarget,however.InAfricaand South Asia, fewer than half of allbirthsareattendedbyamidwifeorskilledhealth worker, and complications duringpregnancyandchildbirthremainthemostfrequentcauseofdeathforwomen.18Lackofaccesstohealthservicesisparticularlyacuteforwomeninremoteruralareas.

While there is obviously no substitutefor increased numbers of healthcareprofessionals and their attendancebefore, during and after childbirth,broadband services have alreadybegun to demonstrate their potential forimproving the health ofwomenand theirbabies. High-speed Internet connectionsenable health workers outside majorcentres to receive quality training andexchange experiences and informationthrough video-conferencing, interactivediscussion forums and the use of socialnetworkingsites.

Broadband services give women easieraccess to informationon familyplanning,hygiene and other reproductive healthissues, including visual presentationmaterials, information in local languages,and culturally-appropriate content.Expectantandnewmotherscangetbetterinformationaboutchildbirthandtheearly

15&16 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals. 17 Source:UnitedNations,asreportedatwww.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/dsgsm497.doc.htm.

18 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,at:www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

42 43switchingtoonlinelearningopportunities,due to their inherent interactivity.Broadband-enabled ICT applicationsshould be seen both as a pedagogicaltool and as a discipline in their ownright for the development of effectiveeducationalservices.

goal 3: PROmOtE GENDER EqUaLity aND EmPOwER wOmENIn many emerging economies and ruralareas, women remain economically andsociallymarginalizedandunder-educated,sufferingfromrelativelypooremploymentprospects. While many countries haveachieved or nearly achieved primaryschool gender equality – the enrolmentgapnarrowedfrom91girlsto96girlsforevery 100 boys in the developing worldbetween 1999 and 2008 – progress stillremains slow in other areas. Womenare disproportionately represented invulnerable or insecure employment. Insome countries, women represent only20 per cent of the workforce employedoutsideagriculture,whilewithinagriculture,incomesremainlow.15

ICTsandbroadbandarekeytoachievingempowerment and gender equality.They provide an excellent means ofopening up opportunities in educationand employment, as well as access toinformation, and have the potential toneutralize much of the discriminationtraditionally faced by women. TheflexibilityprovidedbytheuseofICTsandbroadband in education and work can

enable women to better fulfil their workcommitments, and can help overcomeissuesofmobility.ICTsandbroadbandcanalsobeusedto influencepublicattitudestogenderequality,createopportunitiesforwomen as educators and activists, andenhanceopportunitiesfornetworkingandorganizing for gender equality, aswell asfemaleparticipationinpoliticalprocesses.

ICTsandbroadbandaredirectlyrelevanttoempowermentandgenderequalityinbothcause and effect – increasing women’saccess to ICTs and broadband will helpachieve these goals, and achievinggender equality will help increasewomen’s access to ICTs and broadband.Key stakeholders must develop gender-focused or gender-neutral technologyand application programmes to ensurethat broadband mitigates, and does notwiden,gendergaps.

goal 4: REDUCE CHiLD mORtaLityIn many regions of the world, includingNorthernAfrica,EastAsia,South-EasternAsia, Latin America and the Caribbean,childmortalityrateshavemorethanhalvedsince1990,butglobally, the fall hasonlybeen28percent,which isstillwellshortof the target of a two-thirds reduction.16

Tragically, most of the major causes ofchildmortality –malnutrition, pneumonia,malaria, diarrhoea, measles, HIV/AIDS,tetanus – are treatable, but communitieslackboththeresourcesandtheknowledgeto treat them.Children’s health is closelycorrelatedwithmaternalhealthand(moreloosely)withmaternaleducation.

Given that thereare rarelyenoughhealthpractitioners to serve everyone in needof healthcare, ICTs and broadband areessential for bridging this gap.Advancesin modern medical technology usuallyrequire large amounts of money, buttelemedicine can make a huge impactwithrelativelysimplelow-costtechnology.Justonecomputer,ascannerandadigitalcamera, for example, can transform ahospital, making a real difference whereitcounts.Itisalsoimportanttoautomatesystemsproperlyinhospitals(eg,throughtheuseofEntrepriseResourcePlanningorERP) to minimize the manual paperworkinoffices,clinics,healthcentresetc. thatcancausedelaysandqueuesinprovidinghealthservicestopatients.

Mobile technology can also be used todisseminate basic health and sanitaryinformation to parents (such as vaccinereminders, and advice on maternalhygieneandnutrition);totrainintermediaryhealthcare workers and rural doctors; totrackdiseaseandepidemicoutbreaks;tomonitorpatients remotely; and to remindpatientsabouttheneedtotakemedicinesorcomeinforacheck-up.

Toleveragethefullpoweroftelemedicine,broadband is needed to enable doctorsto share images and diagnose patientshundredsofmilesawayusingtechnologiessuchasvideo-conferencing,forexample.A number of developing countries – forexample,KenyaandRwanda–arealreadyprioritizing broadband as a platform forfuture health service delivery in a bid toimprove patient care, dissolve distanceandbringtelemedicinetotensofmillionsofpeople,therebyreducingchildmortality.

goal 5: imPROvE matERNaL HEaLtHMore than half a million women dieeveryyearasaresultofcomplications inpregnancyandchildbirth,almostalloftheminthedevelopingworld.17Thevastmajorityofthesedeathsarepreventable.Althoughmaternalmortalityratesarefalling,therateof reduction is still considerably short ofthe5.5percentdeclineneededannuallytomeettheMDGtarget,however.InAfricaand South Asia, fewer than half of allbirthsareattendedbyamidwifeorskilledhealth worker, and complications duringpregnancyandchildbirthremainthemostfrequentcauseofdeathforwomen.18Lackofaccesstohealthservicesisparticularlyacuteforwomeninremoteruralareas.

While there is obviously no substitutefor increased numbers of healthcareprofessionals and their attendancebefore, during and after childbirth,broadband services have alreadybegun to demonstrate their potential forimproving the health ofwomenand theirbabies. High-speed Internet connectionsenable health workers outside majorcentres to receive quality training andexchange experiences and informationthrough video-conferencing, interactivediscussion forums and the use of socialnetworkingsites.

Broadband services give women easieraccess to informationon familyplanning,hygiene and other reproductive healthissues, including visual presentationmaterials, information in local languages,and culturally-appropriate content.Expectantandnewmotherscangetbetterinformationaboutchildbirthandtheearly

15&16 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,atwww.un.org/millenniumgoals. 17 Source:UnitedNations,asreportedatwww.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/dsgsm497.doc.htm.

18 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,at:www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

44 45warning signs of infection or disease forthemselvesandtheirchildren.Broadbandapplicationslinkedto‘smart’mobilephonesor portable computers linked to mobilebroadband networks can enable healthworkerstocreateandaccessonlinepatientrecordsandtotransmithealthinformationto policy-makers and researchers. AndthereisanimportantandgrowingroleforcommunitycentreswithInternetaccesstodeliver essential connectivity and healthinformation, especially towomen in ruralandremoteareas.

goal 6: COmbat Hiv/aiDS, maLaRia aND OtHER DiSEaSESAlthough there has been progress incurbingtherateofnewinfections–thenewHIV infection rate fell from an estimatedpeakof 3.5million in 1996 to 2.7millionin 2008, for example –diseases suchasmalaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS stillkillmorethanfourmillionpeopleannually,andanestimatedonebillionpeoplesufferfromneglectedtropicaldiseases.19

Successincombatingthesediseasesoftendependsontheeffectivedisseminationofinformation about prevention, treatmentandcure,andpersuadingpeople to takesimple low-tech preventive measures,such as using condems or insecticide-treatedbed-nets.Theprovisionofqualityinformation to those at risk, to patients,tocare-giversand tohealth-workersandresearchers,isfundamental.

For instance,HIVprevention is critical tocontrollingtheAIDSepidemic,yetlessthan

athirdofyoungmenandlessthanafifthof youngwomen in developing countriesknow how HIV/AIDS is transmitted andhowtopreventinfection.

By making customized access toinformation quick and easy, broadbandapplications are already helping in theglobalfightagainstdisease.Theyinclude:

• Interactive e-learning courses onHIV/AIDSforeducators,suchastheonesdevelopedbyUNESCO;20

• Onlinetrainingandrefreshercoursesforhealthworkers, includingvideo-conferencing;

• Information-sharingbetweenhealthprofessionalsontreatmentpractices,guidelinesandsoon,throughonlinediscussion forums, bulletin boardsandsocialnetworkingsites;

• Continuing professional educationonline;

• Personalized risk assessments forHIV/AIDSthrough interactiveonlineprograms.Somepeoplemayfinditeasier to answer questions posedbyacomputerthantotalkface-to-faceaboutsensitivesubjects;

• Information, education andawareness-raisingcampaignsaboutthe risks of getting infected andeffectivewaysofprotection(throughwebsites,includinginteractivevisualfeatures and hotlines providingadvice and additional informationondemand).

Combining broadband with the mobilephones that are most widespread in thedeveloping world also has the potentialto transform health service delivery – forexample,byexpandingschemestocheckthat AIDS and tuberculosis patients are

taking their medicines, and to enter andaccesspatientinformation.

Broadband Internet can also providepowerful research and surveillance toolsto tackle disease more effectively – bymappingtheMycobacteriumtuberculosisgenome, for example, or using satellitesto map areas where malaria-carryingmosquitoesarelikelytobefound.

Lastbutnotleast,ICTcommunitycentrescan give girls and women access toundistorted and objective information onhow to prevent sexually-transmissiblediseases, including AIDS. Women withHIVcanreceiveinformationontreatmentsfor preventing the transmissionofHIV totheirunbornbabies,and thosecaring forrelativeswithHIVcanaccesssupportandadvice. ICT community centres can alsoprovidewomenwith valuable informationon how to combat and treat malaria,tuberculosisandotherdiseases.

goal 7: ENSURE ENviRONmENtaL SUStaiNabiLityThe MDG on ensuring environmentalsustainability spans a wide range oftargets,fromtheprovisionofsafedrinkingwater and basic sanitation facilities toreducing biodiversity loss and improvingthelivesofslum-dwellers.

In virtually all these areas, broadbandnetworks can make an importantcontribution. They can swiftly transmitinformation from ground sensors orsatellitestomonitortheeffectsofclimate

change or impending natural disasters,such as drought or floods. They canprovideearlywarningsystemsthatreducevulnerability to disasters. Combinedwith Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabledmobilephones,theycansupportemergency communications andmedicalassistancewhendisaster strikes.Andbyenhancing environmental surveillance,they can help policy-makers devisesuitable response strategies and makemoreefficientuseofresources.

Broadband-powered GPS-basedapplications can also help monitorenvironmental abuses (eg, illegal loggingor pollution levels) and transmit thatinformationtoauthorities.Theycanfacilitateknowledge exchange and networkingamong policy-makers, practitionersand advocacy groups, boostingpublic awareness and encouragingenvironmentalactivism.

Automatic weather stations at mobilephone masts can be used to provideinformation directly to farmers andfishermen via mobile phones, enablingthem to predict and cope with erraticweather patterns due to climate change.Broadband can enhance such systemsfurther,bysupportingmoresophisticatedmodelling and faster information-sharing.Environmentally-friendly work habitsare also increasingly prevalent in manycountries, promoted through ICT andbroadbandinareassuchasreducingpaperconsumptionandfacilitatingteleworking.

Innovative ICT projects have alreadyproved their worth in improving the livesof slum-dwellers – for example, inBrazil,India and Kenya – by providing accessto employment and training. Broadband

19 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,at:www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

20 Source:http://hivaidsclearinghouse.unesco.org/.

44 45warning signs of infection or disease forthemselvesandtheirchildren.Broadbandapplicationslinkedto‘smart’mobilephonesor portable computers linked to mobilebroadband networks can enable healthworkerstocreateandaccessonlinepatientrecordsandtotransmithealthinformationto policy-makers and researchers. AndthereisanimportantandgrowingroleforcommunitycentreswithInternetaccesstodeliver essential connectivity and healthinformation, especially towomen in ruralandremoteareas.

goal 6: COmbat Hiv/aiDS, maLaRia aND OtHER DiSEaSESAlthough there has been progress incurbingtherateofnewinfections–thenewHIV infection rate fell from an estimatedpeakof 3.5million in 1996 to 2.7millionin 2008, for example –diseases suchasmalaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS stillkillmorethanfourmillionpeopleannually,andanestimatedonebillionpeoplesufferfromneglectedtropicaldiseases.19

Successincombatingthesediseasesoftendependsontheeffectivedisseminationofinformation about prevention, treatmentandcure,andpersuadingpeople to takesimple low-tech preventive measures,such as using condems or insecticide-treatedbed-nets.Theprovisionofqualityinformation to those at risk, to patients,tocare-giversand tohealth-workersandresearchers,isfundamental.

For instance,HIVprevention is critical tocontrollingtheAIDSepidemic,yetlessthan

athirdofyoungmenandlessthanafifthof youngwomen in developing countriesknow how HIV/AIDS is transmitted andhowtopreventinfection.

By making customized access toinformation quick and easy, broadbandapplications are already helping in theglobalfightagainstdisease.Theyinclude:

• Interactive e-learning courses onHIV/AIDSforeducators,suchastheonesdevelopedbyUNESCO;20

• Onlinetrainingandrefreshercoursesforhealthworkers, includingvideo-conferencing;

• Information-sharingbetweenhealthprofessionalsontreatmentpractices,guidelinesandsoon,throughonlinediscussion forums, bulletin boardsandsocialnetworkingsites;

• Continuing professional educationonline;

• Personalized risk assessments forHIV/AIDSthrough interactiveonlineprograms.Somepeoplemayfinditeasier to answer questions posedbyacomputerthantotalkface-to-faceaboutsensitivesubjects;

• Information, education andawareness-raisingcampaignsaboutthe risks of getting infected andeffectivewaysofprotection(throughwebsites,includinginteractivevisualfeatures and hotlines providingadvice and additional informationondemand).

Combining broadband with the mobilephones that are most widespread in thedeveloping world also has the potentialto transform health service delivery – forexample,byexpandingschemestocheckthat AIDS and tuberculosis patients are

taking their medicines, and to enter andaccesspatientinformation.

Broadband Internet can also providepowerful research and surveillance toolsto tackle disease more effectively – bymappingtheMycobacteriumtuberculosisgenome, for example, or using satellitesto map areas where malaria-carryingmosquitoesarelikelytobefound.

Lastbutnotleast,ICTcommunitycentrescan give girls and women access toundistorted and objective information onhow to prevent sexually-transmissiblediseases, including AIDS. Women withHIVcanreceiveinformationontreatmentsfor preventing the transmissionofHIV totheirunbornbabies,and thosecaring forrelativeswithHIVcanaccesssupportandadvice. ICT community centres can alsoprovidewomenwith valuable informationon how to combat and treat malaria,tuberculosisandotherdiseases.

goal 7: ENSURE ENviRONmENtaL SUStaiNabiLityThe MDG on ensuring environmentalsustainability spans a wide range oftargets,fromtheprovisionofsafedrinkingwater and basic sanitation facilities toreducing biodiversity loss and improvingthelivesofslum-dwellers.

In virtually all these areas, broadbandnetworks can make an importantcontribution. They can swiftly transmitinformation from ground sensors orsatellitestomonitortheeffectsofclimate

change or impending natural disasters,such as drought or floods. They canprovideearlywarningsystemsthatreducevulnerability to disasters. Combinedwith Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabledmobilephones,theycansupportemergency communications andmedicalassistancewhendisaster strikes.Andbyenhancing environmental surveillance,they can help policy-makers devisesuitable response strategies and makemoreefficientuseofresources.

Broadband-powered GPS-basedapplications can also help monitorenvironmental abuses (eg, illegal loggingor pollution levels) and transmit thatinformationtoauthorities.Theycanfacilitateknowledge exchange and networkingamong policy-makers, practitionersand advocacy groups, boostingpublic awareness and encouragingenvironmentalactivism.

Automatic weather stations at mobilephone masts can be used to provideinformation directly to farmers andfishermen via mobile phones, enablingthem to predict and cope with erraticweather patterns due to climate change.Broadband can enhance such systemsfurther,bysupportingmoresophisticatedmodelling and faster information-sharing.Environmentally-friendly work habitsare also increasingly prevalent in manycountries, promoted through ICT andbroadbandinareassuchasreducingpaperconsumptionandfacilitatingteleworking.

Innovative ICT projects have alreadyproved their worth in improving the livesof slum-dwellers – for example, inBrazil,India and Kenya – by providing accessto employment and training. Broadband

19 Source:TheMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsReport2010,UNNewYork,at:www.un.org/millenniumgoals.

20 Source:http://hivaidsclearinghouse.unesco.org/.

46 47Internetcandofarmorethanthis,however,by enabling the delivery of governmentservicesonlineandgivingsmallbusinessesinslumareastheopportunitytoparticipateine-commerce.Perhapsmostimportantly,broadband can empower slum-dwellersoftenexcluded from thepoliticalprocessto have a ‘voice’, delivering access toinformationandprovidingameansforthemtocommunicate,sharetheirconcernsandmobilize forchange.Sharingexperiencesof what works, learning from others andchanging people’s expectations of theirlivingconditionsandlivelihoodsareallpartof thecomplexchallengeofempoweringpeopletoimprovetheirownlives.

goal 8: DEvELOP a GLObaL PaRtNERSHiP FOR DEvELOPmENtMDG 8 includes a specific target onextendingthebenefitsofnewtechnologies,including ICTs, in cooperation with theprivate sector. While the phenomenalgrowth of mobile telephony in thedevelopingworldhastransformedaccessto basic connectivity, the ‘digital divide’persists,especiallywheretheInternetandbroadbandareconcerned.

While around a quarter of the world’spopulation now uses the Internet, in thevery poorest countries, that proportionis just one or twoper cent.21 The gulf inaccess to broadband networks is evengreater.

Progress will depend on thinkingcreativelyabouthowtospeedupaccessto broadband, including building multi-

stakeholder partnerships involvinggovernments, the private sector and civilsociety.Only then,with fullaccess to theinformationsociety,willpeoplebeabletofindinnovativewaysoutofpoverty.

Broadband networks can also help withother targets within MDG 8, such asaddressing the special needs of land-lockedandSmallIslandDevelopingStates(SIDS). High-speed Internet connectionscan enable these countries to overcomegeographicdisadvantagesandlinkupwiththe rest of the world, including throughe-businessandbyexportingservicesthatcan be delivered through communicationnetworks, such as call centres andbusinessprocessing.

Similarly, distance working enabled bybroadbandcanhelpinadvancinganotherMDG 8 target, to develop strategies for‘decentandproductiveworkforyouth’.Andby enhancing distance learning throughvideo-conferencing,interactivediscussionandsocialnetworking,broadbandInternetcanhelpimproveskillsofallkinds,notonlyin ICT. Broadband networks hold greatpromise for broadband-enabled scientificapplications with the need tomanipulateandtransferextremelylargedatasets.

The greatest contribution of broadbandtowards achieving the MDGs may be itscatalytic role in empowering people bygiving themboth knowledge and a voiceinthepublicarena,asICTsandbroadbandhave the power to level the playing fieldacross different countries and differenttypes of economies. Beyond 2015,broadlyuniversalandwidespreadaccesstobroadbandshouldbeakeyconcernofpolicy-makersinsettingthenextroundofglobaltargets.

21 Source:ITU–seeInternetusers2009,atwww.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx.

46 47Internetcandofarmorethanthis,however,by enabling the delivery of governmentservicesonlineandgivingsmallbusinessesinslumareastheopportunitytoparticipateine-commerce.Perhapsmostimportantly,broadband can empower slum-dwellersoftenexcluded from thepoliticalprocessto have a ‘voice’, delivering access toinformationandprovidingameansforthemtocommunicate,sharetheirconcernsandmobilize forchange.Sharingexperiencesof what works, learning from others andchanging people’s expectations of theirlivingconditionsandlivelihoodsareallpartof thecomplexchallengeofempoweringpeopletoimprovetheirownlives.

goal 8: DEvELOP a GLObaL PaRtNERSHiP FOR DEvELOPmENtMDG 8 includes a specific target onextendingthebenefitsofnewtechnologies,including ICTs, in cooperation with theprivate sector. While the phenomenalgrowth of mobile telephony in thedevelopingworldhastransformedaccessto basic connectivity, the ‘digital divide’persists,especiallywheretheInternetandbroadbandareconcerned.

While around a quarter of the world’spopulation now uses the Internet, in thevery poorest countries, that proportionis just one or twoper cent.21 The gulf inaccess to broadband networks is evengreater.

Progress will depend on thinkingcreativelyabouthowtospeedupaccessto broadband, including building multi-

stakeholder partnerships involvinggovernments, the private sector and civilsociety.Only then,with fullaccess to theinformationsociety,willpeoplebeabletofindinnovativewaysoutofpoverty.

Broadband networks can also help withother targets within MDG 8, such asaddressing the special needs of land-lockedandSmallIslandDevelopingStates(SIDS). High-speed Internet connectionscan enable these countries to overcomegeographicdisadvantagesandlinkupwiththe rest of the world, including throughe-businessandbyexportingservicesthatcan be delivered through communicationnetworks, such as call centres andbusinessprocessing.

Similarly, distance working enabled bybroadbandcanhelpinadvancinganotherMDG 8 target, to develop strategies for‘decentandproductiveworkforyouth’.Andby enhancing distance learning throughvideo-conferencing,interactivediscussionandsocialnetworking,broadbandInternetcanhelpimproveskillsofallkinds,notonlyin ICT. Broadband networks hold greatpromise for broadband-enabled scientificapplications with the need tomanipulateandtransferextremelylargedatasets.

The greatest contribution of broadbandtowards achieving the MDGs may be itscatalytic role in empowering people bygiving themboth knowledge and a voiceinthepublicarena,asICTsandbroadbandhave the power to level the playing fieldacross different countries and differenttypes of economies. Beyond 2015,broadlyuniversalandwidespreadaccesstobroadbandshouldbeakeyconcernofpolicy-makersinsettingthenextroundofglobaltargets.

21 Source:ITU–seeInternetusers2009,atwww.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx.

49

BrOADBAND AND BEyOND ThE mDGS

5 This section reviews some of the key global challenges of the 21st Century that broadband connectivity and content are uniquely placed to address, namely: climate change; the shifting burden and demography of ageing populations; and the growing costs associated with healthcare.

Broadband and Climate Change

Climate change is one of the biggestchallenges facing humanity today.Although climate change is a naturalphenomenonanddebatescontinueoverthe origins, mechanisms and extent ofclimate change, it now seems likely thathuman activities are accelerating this

natural phenomenon in an artificial way,ultimately contributing to a sudden andrapidwarmingoftheplanet,partlythroughthereleaseofgreenhousegases(GHG)andcarbon-basedemissions.Humanactivitiesmayalsointerferewiththeplanet’snaturalmechanisms for responding and adaptingtoclimatechange.

Hundreds of millions of people are nowincreasingly vulnerable to the knock-oneffectsofclimatechange,livinginareasatrisk frommore frequent andmore severenaturaldisasters(suchasfloods,hurricanesandlandslides).Adisproportionatenumberofthesepeopleliveindevelopingcountrieswith only limited resources to cope withthe impact of climate change. Despitethe scientific, statistical and politicaluncertainties surrounding climate change,whatiscertainistheneedforcoordinatedinternational action – to enable countriesto monitor, plan for and respond to theinevitableimpactofclimatechangeontheirpeoples,citiesandcommunities.

ICTshaveacriticalroletoplayincombatingclimate change through the reduction ofGHG emissions. Defined in its narrowestsense (as telecommunications, computingandtheInternet), theICTsectorhasbeenestimated to account for between 2-2.5per cent of GHG emissions – mainly inthe power demands of devices (such asphonesorcomputers)andtheoperationofICTnetworks(throughtheoperationofdatacentresortelecommunicationequipment).

However, since ICTs are cross-cuttingtechnologies used in other industrialsectors, the representative figure for thebroaderICTsectormaybehigherthanthisbaselineestimate.Itisclearisthat,unlessfurther decisive action is taken soon, thecontribution of ICTs to GHG emissionsis likely to rise in parallel with the strong

49

BrOADBAND AND BEyOND ThE mDGS

5 This section reviews some of the key global challenges of the 21st Century that broadband connectivity and content are uniquely placed to address, namely: climate change; the shifting burden and demography of ageing populations; and the growing costs associated with healthcare.

Broadband and Climate Change

Climate change is one of the biggestchallenges facing humanity today.Although climate change is a naturalphenomenonanddebatescontinueoverthe origins, mechanisms and extent ofclimate change, it now seems likely thathuman activities are accelerating this

natural phenomenon in an artificial way,ultimately contributing to a sudden andrapidwarmingoftheplanet,partlythroughthereleaseofgreenhousegases(GHG)andcarbon-basedemissions.Humanactivitiesmayalsointerferewiththeplanet’snaturalmechanisms for responding and adaptingtoclimatechange.

Hundreds of millions of people are nowincreasingly vulnerable to the knock-oneffectsofclimatechange,livinginareasatrisk frommore frequent andmore severenaturaldisasters(suchasfloods,hurricanesandlandslides).Adisproportionatenumberofthesepeopleliveindevelopingcountrieswith only limited resources to cope withthe impact of climate change. Despitethe scientific, statistical and politicaluncertainties surrounding climate change,whatiscertainistheneedforcoordinatedinternational action – to enable countriesto monitor, plan for and respond to theinevitableimpactofclimatechangeontheirpeoples,citiesandcommunities.

ICTshaveacriticalroletoplayincombatingclimate change through the reduction ofGHG emissions. Defined in its narrowestsense (as telecommunications, computingandtheInternet), theICTsectorhasbeenestimated to account for between 2-2.5per cent of GHG emissions – mainly inthe power demands of devices (such asphonesorcomputers)andtheoperationofICTnetworks(throughtheoperationofdatacentresortelecommunicationequipment).

However, since ICTs are cross-cuttingtechnologies used in other industrialsectors, the representative figure for thebroaderICTsectormaybehigherthanthisbaselineestimate.Itisclearisthat,unlessfurther decisive action is taken soon, thecontribution of ICTs to GHG emissionsis likely to rise in parallel with the strong

50 51market growth and growing use of dataand ICT services worldwide. However,many promising initiatives are underwayintheICTsectorwhichshouldhelpcurtailthisrise.

ICTs, and broadband in particular, alsooffer significant promise for combatingclimate change – ICTs can also be partof the solution. Broadband technologiesaremoreenergy-efficientthanother,olderandmore traditional means of deliveringservices, and ICT solutions can result inlower overall carbon-based emissions.In addition, the availability of broadbandwillreducetheemissionsofothersectorsthroughgreateradoptionofmoreenergy-efficientICTs.Anexcellentexampleistheuse of smart grids, which could reduceGHGs by 5-9 per cent (for the UnitedStates)22or thepowerneedsofelectricalsupply systems by as much as 30 percent (in the case of India, according tothe SMART2020 report).23 In addition,virtualization(eg,readinge-books)andtheuseofadvancedtechnologies(eg,video-conferencing)couldsubstituteforcarbon-intensiveactivities(suchasprintingpaperbooksorairtravel).‘GreenICTs’or‘smartICTs’arearecent,butimportantandfast-growingsectorintheirownright.

Evenmore importantly,because ICTsarepervasive cross-cutting technologies,prioritizing the use of more energy-efficient technologiessuchasbroadbandofferspolicy-makersaneffectivemeansofleveraging reductions in GHG emissionsacross different industrial sectors atonce. Investments in smart ICTs offer

developed and developing countriesalike the opportunity to invest in – andinnovate for – the future, for the sakeof future generations. The initial upfrontcosts of investing now in more energy-efficientbroadbandtechnologiespaleintoinsignificance compared with the longer-term costs of coping with the effects ofclimatechange.Greateradoptionofmoreenergyefficient ICT-basedsolutions isnolongeranoption,butanecessity.

Broadband and the Shifting Burden and Demography of Ageing Populations

Decliningfertilityandbirthrates,combinedwithincreasedlifeexpectancy,areleadingtoageingintheglobalpopulation.In1990,one in every twelve persons (or 8.95 percent of the world population) was over60.24 In 2009, this had grown to one inevery nine persons and the so-called“olderpopulation”oftheworldamountedto 737 million persons, nearly two-thirdsofwhomliveindevelopingcountries.Theglobalpopulationaged60+isprojectedtoreach2billionin2050or22percentoftheglobalpopulation.25By2050,olderpersonswill outnumber children (less than 14yearsofage).TheUNPopulationDivisionhas concluded that population ageing is“unprecedented, profound, enduring andpervasive”,26affectingnearlyallcountriesonearth.

This global demographic trend is splitsharply, however, between developedand developing countries. In developedcountries,populationsaregenerallyageingearlier andmore rapidly – the number ofpeople aged 60+ exceeded the numberof 12- to 24-year-olds in the late 1990s.In developing countries, the number ofpeople in less developed countries aged60+isnotexpectedtoexceedthenumberof12-to24-year-oldsuntil2045.27

This ageing in the world population willhave a profound impact on all aspectsof social and economic growth – onsavings, investment,consumption, labourmarkets, pensions, taxation, the demandfor housing, epidemiology and the needfor healthcare services. Broadbandinfrastructure is important for cateringto the range of different needs of elderlypersons. As the current digitally-literategenerationmatures, theywill continue toparticipateinonlineservices.Acomputer-literate generation used to shoppingand spending time online is likely toindulgethesehabitsinretirementorseekalternative online careers to supplementmeagre pension payments (where theseare available). Some of their most basicongoing needs may be for information,entertainment, lifelong-learning andretraining.

Broadbandinfrastructureislikelytoprovevital in thedeliveryofhealthcareservicesto growing numbers of elderly persons.Always-on real-time connectivity isessentialforthemonitoringandsurveillanceof elderly persons, enabling them to live

independently for longer. Broadbandconnectivity is also essential for medical“compliance monitoring” to ensure thatelderlypeople take their treatments– themain reasonwhymedical treatments fail,according to Philips Medical.28 Sensornetworkscanbeusedtomonitorthelong-term situation of elderly persons in poorhealth, from mundane matters such astheformationofskinlesionsandbedsoresto more serious monitoring of cardiacfunction, diabetics’ sugar levels or bloodpressure. Monitoring and alert systemscan also be used to notify distant healthpersonnel in case of crisis (eg, a stroke,cardiacarrestorepilepticseizure).

Broadband infrastructure is alsoessential for long-distance diagnosis,teleconsultation and medical imaging.High-bandwidth computing is neededfor recording, storing and transmittingdetailedimagesusingadvancedsoftwarefor the analysis of degenerativediseasesassociated with ageing (eg, dementia,Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s). Theageingofthereal-worldglobalpopulationislikelytobereflectedonlineinthevirtualworldinwaysthatareasyetonlybeginningtobeunderstood.

Broadband and the Growing Cost of Healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO)has observed that huge inequities existin the provision, health outcomes,

22 “ConnectingSmartGrids&ClimateChange”,SilverSpringNetworks,November2009,availableat:http://www.silverspringnet.com/pdfs/SSN_ WP_ConnectingSmartGrid-1109.pdf.

23 “SMART2020:EnablingtheLowCarbonEconomyintheInformationAge”,TheClimateGroup/GeSI,at:http://www.smart2020.org/_assets/ files/02_Smart2020Report.pdf.

24 WorldHealthReport2001,availableat:http://www.who.int/whr/2001/annex/en/.

25 “AgeingandPopulation”,UNpopulationdivision,at:http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/ageing/ageing2009chart.pdf.

26 http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WPA2009/WPA2009_WorkingPaper.pdf.

27 UnitedNations,WorldPopulationProspects2004,PreparedbyLarryRosenbergandDavidBloom(HarvardUniversity);quotedin“Global DemographicTrends”,IMFmagazine,September2006,at:http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2006/09/picture.htm.

28 PresentationbyPhilipsHealthcare,totheFTTHCouncilEuropeConference,February2010,quotedat:http://www.ftthcouncil.eu/home/latest_ news/hot_news_from_the_ftth_conference_in_lisbon!/?cid=37&nid=527&catid=8.

50 51market growth and growing use of dataand ICT services worldwide. However,many promising initiatives are underwayintheICTsectorwhichshouldhelpcurtailthisrise.

ICTs, and broadband in particular, alsooffer significant promise for combatingclimate change – ICTs can also be partof the solution. Broadband technologiesaremoreenergy-efficientthanother,olderandmore traditional means of deliveringservices, and ICT solutions can result inlower overall carbon-based emissions.In addition, the availability of broadbandwillreducetheemissionsofothersectorsthroughgreateradoptionofmoreenergy-efficientICTs.Anexcellentexampleistheuse of smart grids, which could reduceGHGs by 5-9 per cent (for the UnitedStates)22or thepowerneedsofelectricalsupply systems by as much as 30 percent (in the case of India, according tothe SMART2020 report).23 In addition,virtualization(eg,readinge-books)andtheuseofadvancedtechnologies(eg,video-conferencing)couldsubstituteforcarbon-intensiveactivities(suchasprintingpaperbooksorairtravel).‘GreenICTs’or‘smartICTs’arearecent,butimportantandfast-growingsectorintheirownright.

Evenmore importantly,because ICTsarepervasive cross-cutting technologies,prioritizing the use of more energy-efficient technologiessuchasbroadbandofferspolicy-makersaneffectivemeansofleveraging reductions in GHG emissionsacross different industrial sectors atonce. Investments in smart ICTs offer

developed and developing countriesalike the opportunity to invest in – andinnovate for – the future, for the sakeof future generations. The initial upfrontcosts of investing now in more energy-efficientbroadbandtechnologiespaleintoinsignificance compared with the longer-term costs of coping with the effects ofclimatechange.Greateradoptionofmoreenergyefficient ICT-basedsolutions isnolongeranoption,butanecessity.

Broadband and the Shifting Burden and Demography of Ageing Populations

Decliningfertilityandbirthrates,combinedwithincreasedlifeexpectancy,areleadingtoageingintheglobalpopulation.In1990,one in every twelve persons (or 8.95 percent of the world population) was over60.24 In 2009, this had grown to one inevery nine persons and the so-called“olderpopulation”oftheworldamountedto 737 million persons, nearly two-thirdsofwhomliveindevelopingcountries.Theglobalpopulationaged60+isprojectedtoreach2billionin2050or22percentoftheglobalpopulation.25By2050,olderpersonswill outnumber children (less than 14yearsofage).TheUNPopulationDivisionhas concluded that population ageing is“unprecedented, profound, enduring andpervasive”,26affectingnearlyallcountriesonearth.

This global demographic trend is splitsharply, however, between developedand developing countries. In developedcountries,populationsaregenerallyageingearlier andmore rapidly – the number ofpeople aged 60+ exceeded the numberof 12- to 24-year-olds in the late 1990s.In developing countries, the number ofpeople in less developed countries aged60+isnotexpectedtoexceedthenumberof12-to24-year-oldsuntil2045.27

This ageing in the world population willhave a profound impact on all aspectsof social and economic growth – onsavings, investment,consumption, labourmarkets, pensions, taxation, the demandfor housing, epidemiology and the needfor healthcare services. Broadbandinfrastructure is important for cateringto the range of different needs of elderlypersons. As the current digitally-literategenerationmatures, theywill continue toparticipateinonlineservices.Acomputer-literate generation used to shoppingand spending time online is likely toindulgethesehabitsinretirementorseekalternative online careers to supplementmeagre pension payments (where theseare available). Some of their most basicongoing needs may be for information,entertainment, lifelong-learning andretraining.

Broadbandinfrastructureislikelytoprovevital in thedeliveryofhealthcareservicesto growing numbers of elderly persons.Always-on real-time connectivity isessentialforthemonitoringandsurveillanceof elderly persons, enabling them to live

independently for longer. Broadbandconnectivity is also essential for medical“compliance monitoring” to ensure thatelderlypeople take their treatments– themain reasonwhymedical treatments fail,according to Philips Medical.28 Sensornetworkscanbeusedtomonitorthelong-term situation of elderly persons in poorhealth, from mundane matters such astheformationofskinlesionsandbedsoresto more serious monitoring of cardiacfunction, diabetics’ sugar levels or bloodpressure. Monitoring and alert systemscan also be used to notify distant healthpersonnel in case of crisis (eg, a stroke,cardiacarrestorepilepticseizure).

Broadband infrastructure is alsoessential for long-distance diagnosis,teleconsultation and medical imaging.High-bandwidth computing is neededfor recording, storing and transmittingdetailedimagesusingadvancedsoftwarefor the analysis of degenerativediseasesassociated with ageing (eg, dementia,Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s). Theageingofthereal-worldglobalpopulationislikelytobereflectedonlineinthevirtualworldinwaysthatareasyetonlybeginningtobeunderstood.

Broadband and the Growing Cost of Healthcare

The World Health Organization (WHO)has observed that huge inequities existin the provision, health outcomes,

22 “ConnectingSmartGrids&ClimateChange”,SilverSpringNetworks,November2009,availableat:http://www.silverspringnet.com/pdfs/SSN_ WP_ConnectingSmartGrid-1109.pdf.

23 “SMART2020:EnablingtheLowCarbonEconomyintheInformationAge”,TheClimateGroup/GeSI,at:http://www.smart2020.org/_assets/ files/02_Smart2020Report.pdf.

24 WorldHealthReport2001,availableat:http://www.who.int/whr/2001/annex/en/.

25 “AgeingandPopulation”,UNpopulationdivision,at:http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/ageing/ageing2009chart.pdf.

26 http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WPA2009/WPA2009_WorkingPaper.pdf.

27 UnitedNations,WorldPopulationProspects2004,PreparedbyLarryRosenbergandDavidBloom(HarvardUniversity);quotedin“Global DemographicTrends”,IMFmagazine,September2006,at:http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2006/09/picture.htm.

28 PresentationbyPhilipsHealthcare,totheFTTHCouncilEuropeConference,February2010,quotedat:http://www.ftthcouncil.eu/home/latest_ news/hot_news_from_the_ftth_conference_in_lisbon!/?cid=37&nid=527&catid=8.

52 53financing of and access to healthcareservices,within andbetweencountries.29The WHO records that, globally, annualgovernment expenditure on health variesfrom as little as US$ 20 per person toover US$ 6,000. Population growth, theageingofpopulations,scientificprogressand medical advances in diagnosis andtreatmentmean that the annual costs ofhealthcare are rising in many countriesaround theworld. Healthcare is now theworld’slargestserviceindustry,anindustrythatalonewasworthUS$4,000billionin2006.

Meanwhile,systemsforfinancialprotectionare indisarray– theWHOestimates thatfor5.6billionpeople in low-andmiddle-income countries, more than half of allhealthcareexpenditureismadefromout-of-pocket payments, while expenditureson health push over 100 million peoplebelowthepovertylineeachyear.Inmanycountries,thefinancingofhealthcaremaybehaphazard,withpeoplewhoarewell-offandgenerallyhealthierhavingthebestaccess to thebesthealthcare,while thepoormaybelefttofendforthemselves.

The roll-out of broadband infrastructuresfor healthmay require significant upfrontinvestments. However, broadbandtechnologies are likely to prove cost-efficientandreduceongoingcostsforthedigitization, transmission and storage ofpatients’ medical records and imagery.E-health can reduce the costs on thesystem via remote consultation andintervention-especiallyastheproportionof the population over age 60 risessignificantly.

Even beyond positive cost savings, thedigitizationofvitalpatientmedicalrecords

offers key advantages in the recording,preservation and availability of patients’known medical history and risk factorsfor maximum information disclosure indiagnosisandtreatment.Electronichealthrecords can help treat patients alongcomplex referral chains, speeding uptreatmentandpotentiallyimprovinghealthoutcomes.

Broadband does not necessarily mean‘high-tech’, however. Broadbandbackbones connecting major hospitalscan be used effectively to deliverlower-bandwidth services to localpopulations (such as basicmonitoring orcommunications with outlying clinics inmore rural areas). Simple services (suchas SMS alerts, appointments or patientreminders) can be used effectively toimprove the delivery of health servicesandreducesecondarycosts(eg,thetravelcoststoremoteclinics).

InitsWorld Health Report 2008,theWHOnoted that healthcare is often deliveredaccordingtoamodelthatconcentratesondiseasesandhigh-techspecialistcare,withhealthviewedasaproductofbiomedicalintervention,withthepowerofpreventionlargelyignored.30TheWHOhascalledforareturntoholisticprimaryhealthcare,withafocusoncommunitysupport.Incountrieswith high broadband penetrations, thereis potential for greater doctor-to-patientinteractionbetweenhospitals/doctorsandend-usersathometo improveawarenessand education about health outcomesandsteps toprevent illnessanddisease.Most types of healthcare, includingprimary healthcare, can be enhanced byinvestmentsinimprovedinfrastructure.

29&30 Pressrelease,WorldHealthReport2008:http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr38/en/index.html.

52 53financing of and access to healthcareservices,within andbetweencountries.29The WHO records that, globally, annualgovernment expenditure on health variesfrom as little as US$ 20 per person toover US$ 6,000. Population growth, theageingofpopulations,scientificprogressand medical advances in diagnosis andtreatmentmean that the annual costs ofhealthcare are rising in many countriesaround theworld. Healthcare is now theworld’slargestserviceindustry,anindustrythatalonewasworthUS$4,000billionin2006.

Meanwhile,systemsforfinancialprotectionare indisarray– theWHOestimates thatfor5.6billionpeople in low-andmiddle-income countries, more than half of allhealthcareexpenditureismadefromout-of-pocket payments, while expenditureson health push over 100 million peoplebelowthepovertylineeachyear.Inmanycountries,thefinancingofhealthcaremaybehaphazard,withpeoplewhoarewell-offandgenerallyhealthierhavingthebestaccess to thebesthealthcare,while thepoormaybelefttofendforthemselves.

The roll-out of broadband infrastructuresfor healthmay require significant upfrontinvestments. However, broadbandtechnologies are likely to prove cost-efficientandreduceongoingcostsforthedigitization, transmission and storage ofpatients’ medical records and imagery.E-health can reduce the costs on thesystem via remote consultation andintervention-especiallyastheproportionof the population over age 60 risessignificantly.

Even beyond positive cost savings, thedigitizationofvitalpatientmedicalrecords

offers key advantages in the recording,preservation and availability of patients’known medical history and risk factorsfor maximum information disclosure indiagnosisandtreatment.Electronichealthrecords can help treat patients alongcomplex referral chains, speeding uptreatmentandpotentiallyimprovinghealthoutcomes.

Broadband does not necessarily mean‘high-tech’, however. Broadbandbackbones connecting major hospitalscan be used effectively to deliverlower-bandwidth services to localpopulations (such as basicmonitoring orcommunications with outlying clinics inmore rural areas). Simple services (suchas SMS alerts, appointments or patientreminders) can be used effectively toimprove the delivery of health servicesandreducesecondarycosts(eg,thetravelcoststoremoteclinics).

InitsWorld Health Report 2008,theWHOnoted that healthcare is often deliveredaccordingtoamodelthatconcentratesondiseasesandhigh-techspecialistcare,withhealthviewedasaproductofbiomedicalintervention,withthepowerofpreventionlargelyignored.30TheWHOhascalledforareturntoholisticprimaryhealthcare,withafocusoncommunitysupport.Incountrieswith high broadband penetrations, thereis potential for greater doctor-to-patientinteractionbetweenhospitals/doctorsandend-usersathometo improveawarenessand education about health outcomesandsteps toprevent illnessanddisease.Most types of healthcare, includingprimary healthcare, can be enhanced byinvestmentsinimprovedinfrastructure.

29&30 Pressrelease,WorldHealthReport2008:http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2008/pr38/en/index.html.

55

rECOmmENDATiONS AND prOpOSED pLAN OF ACTiON

6 Action

The United Nations general assembly is asked to note the recommendations of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and in particular the concept of ‘Broadband inclusion for all’ and its mapping to achieving the MDgs in relation to the relevant resolutions of its second Committee and to acknowledge the work of the Commission in support of article 19 of the Declaration of Human rights.

aCTioN PoiNT 1 CONNECtiNG bROaDbaND witH tHE mDGS aND kNOwLEDGE SOCiEtiESBuilding global commitment tobroadband inclusion for all byconnecting broadband with the MDGsandknowledgesocietypriorities.

a) At the global level,world leaders atthe2010 MDG Summitmustgalvanizethe international community to acton a common vision of the powerof technology and innovation, builton broadband, to accelerate the

achievement of the MDGs and otherinternationally-agreed development goalsandkeyknowledgesocietyprioritiessuchasthoseoftheWSISby2015,inthecontextofthenewdigitalrealitiesandopportunitiesofthenetworkedsocietyandeconomy.

b)Atthenationallevel,governmentsshouldadopt national broadband strategies,recognizing that, in the information age,broadband – like water, electricity, androads in the industrial age – is not just atoolforcommunication,butasocialassetthatprovidesoneofthemostcost-effectiveandefficientmeansfordeliveringservicesto citizens and comprises a nation’s corefunctions,providesavarietyofservices,andshouldbemadeavailabletoallmembersofsociety,intheirownlanguages.

c) National ICT Policies should beencouraged to build inclusive knowledgesocietieswhere all citizenshave the skillsand confidence to create, share, andpreserve information and knowledge toimprovetheir lives. Governmentsneedtopromote policies in universal access andthese policies should include broadbandaccessasanessentialelementofuniversalaccessandservices.

d) Special consideration should be givento the direct application of broadbandsolutionstoaddressthecross-cuttingandcross-sectoralaspectsoftheMDGagenda.Specifically,evidencepertainingtoimpact,new business and social models, andsustainability isessential indemonstratingthe benefits of broadband diffusion forscale-up and replication across all eightMDGs.

e)Amid-andlong-termperspective,takinginto account the requirements of diversecommunitiesandstakeholders,isessential

55

rECOmmENDATiONS AND prOpOSED pLAN OF ACTiON

6 Action

The United Nations general assembly is asked to note the recommendations of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development and in particular the concept of ‘Broadband inclusion for all’ and its mapping to achieving the MDgs in relation to the relevant resolutions of its second Committee and to acknowledge the work of the Commission in support of article 19 of the Declaration of Human rights.

aCTioN PoiNT 1 CONNECtiNG bROaDbaND witH tHE mDGS aND kNOwLEDGE SOCiEtiESBuilding global commitment tobroadband inclusion for all byconnecting broadband with the MDGsandknowledgesocietypriorities.

a) At the global level,world leaders atthe2010 MDG Summitmustgalvanizethe international community to acton a common vision of the powerof technology and innovation, builton broadband, to accelerate the

achievement of the MDGs and otherinternationally-agreed development goalsandkeyknowledgesocietyprioritiessuchasthoseoftheWSISby2015,inthecontextofthenewdigitalrealitiesandopportunitiesofthenetworkedsocietyandeconomy.

b)Atthenationallevel,governmentsshouldadopt national broadband strategies,recognizing that, in the information age,broadband – like water, electricity, androads in the industrial age – is not just atoolforcommunication,butasocialassetthatprovidesoneofthemostcost-effectiveandefficientmeansfordeliveringservicesto citizens and comprises a nation’s corefunctions,providesavarietyofservices,andshouldbemadeavailabletoallmembersofsociety,intheirownlanguages.

c) National ICT Policies should beencouraged to build inclusive knowledgesocietieswhere all citizenshave the skillsand confidence to create, share, andpreserve information and knowledge toimprovetheir lives. Governmentsneedtopromote policies in universal access andthese policies should include broadbandaccessasanessentialelementofuniversalaccessandservices.

d) Special consideration should be givento the direct application of broadbandsolutionstoaddressthecross-cuttingandcross-sectoralaspectsoftheMDGagenda.Specifically,evidencepertainingtoimpact,new business and social models, andsustainability isessential indemonstratingthe benefits of broadband diffusion forscale-up and replication across all eightMDGs.

e)Amid-andlong-termperspective,takinginto account the requirements of diversecommunitiesandstakeholders,isessential

56 57in forming a consensus for broadbandinvestment and uptake. Governmentsshould play a pivotal role in exploringinnovative financing mechanisms andincentivestrategies.

f) Advocacy efforts should be prioritizedforbuildingaglobalmarketinbroadbanddevices,networks,softwareandsolutionsthat will harness the power of networkeffects, as well as spill-over effects ofbroadband across multiple sectors,while improving framework conditionsfor interoperability between broadbandproductsandservices.

g) Ultimately, new national developmentmodels based on universal access tobroadband connectivity and multilingualcontent can aspire to the goal of ‘digitalopportunity’–thatissocialandeconomicdevelopment made possible via accessto knowledge that can narrow gapsbetweenrichandpoorandamongclassesandregions.

h) We urge all relevant stakeholders tocontinuetoposethekeyquestionsofwhatincentivescanbecreatedbygovernmentstoencourageandenabletheprivatesectortoinvest.

aCTioN PoiNT 2 bENEFittiNG FROm tRaNSFORmatiONaL CHaNGEMaximizing social and economicstimulus with broadband inclusionfor all via transformational change inhealthcare, education, government andenvironmentalsustainability.

a) Fundamentally, what matters fordevelopment is how much value will becreatedbybroadbandinclusionforall.WerequestallGovernmentsat various levelsto expedite the delivery where possibleof all public services for governmenttransformation centrally and locally usingbroadband to substantially improve theaccess, transparency, convenience,security, flexibility, quality and cost ofservicedelivery.

b) Political will and leadership at thelevel of Prime Minister or Head of Stateis required: a future-oriented networkedsociety and economy require future-orientedvision,thinkingandprioritization.Broadbandmust be clearly embedded innationaldevelopmentpoliciesthatbuildonbroadbandasadevelopmentaccelerator.

c) National success stories have shownthat a top-down approach matched withgrassroots involvement and ownership isnecessaryforconstructinganationaldigitaleconomy. A clear national policy mustbe developed that not only contributesto the expansion of basic broadbandinfrastructure, but is also an engine fornational competitiveness. Promotingbroadbandroll-outtokeypublicinstitutions(such as schools, libraries, post offices,hospitalsandhealthclinics)isaneffectiveprivate-publicpartnershipstrategy.

d) Broadband is an unrivalled tool forsocial integration and e-inclusion, soapplyingbroadbandtoaddresseconomicand social challenges such as risinghealthcare costs, ageingpopulations andclimatechangemustbeaprimaryfocusformulti-stakeholder partnerships, includingpublic-private partnerships. Governmentsmust recognize that the success ofbroadband initiatives will depend as

muchonthedemandsideinallitsforms,includingeducation,healthcare,ICTskills,availability of public e-services, etc. asonthesupplyside.

e)Governments should consider policiesaimed at stimulating private sectorgrowthandinvestmentthroughinnovativeloan and incentive structures, avoidingadditionaltaxationontheICTsector.Theymayalsoconsiderproactivesubsidiesbygovernmentinservicesincountrieswherethereislittleornopossibilityofattractingprivate investments, and in-demandstimulus through the promotion of digitalpublicgoods,whichhavebeenshown insome cases to contribute to a virtuouscycleof investment frombothpublicandprivatesectorentitiesandaproliferationofpublic-privatepartnerships.

f)Policyobjectivesforbroadbandinclusionmustincludetheprovisionofbroadband-enabled service and applications forvulnerable, disadvantaged and remotegroups,theyouth,andIndigenousPeoples.Inaddition,boostingtrustandconfidencein ubiquitous broadband with regard tosafety,protection,privacyandsecurity isa prerequisite to building consensus andcommitmenttobroadbandinclusionforall.

g) Special attention must be paid toincreasingtheavailabilityandaffordabilityof radio frequency spectrum as a criticalenabler for wireless broadband growth.Fair competition and new services, aswellasregulatoryreformandfairlicensingprocedures, need to be taken intoconsiderationinallocatingradiofrequencyspectrum, under a technology- andservice-neutralapproach.

h) Special attention must also be paid,notably by equipment manufacturers,to ensuring the development of globalstandards and the interoperabilityofglobalnetworks.

i)While inmanycases, thecross-cuttingandcross-sectoralbenefitsofbroadbandhave in the past resulted in stalled orunsustainable investments and in manyways obscured the catalytic effect thatbroadband inclusion for allwill ultimatelyhaveontheMDGs,thesebenefitsmustbebetterexplainedtocitizensandconsumers.

j)Webelievethatbroadbandpoliciesshouldbe expanded to include hardware andsoftware needs, financing requirements,andpolicypriorities.Webelievethatthereisaneedforcomplementary investmentsin supporting technologies (such aselectricity)andinvestmentsincommunity-basedaccessmodels.

k)Broadbandpoliciesshouldbeexpandedrememberingthatoneofthemainreasonsforfosteringbroadbandisthegreatoverallbenefitforsocietyinthenewapplicationsandserviceswhichcanbedeliveredoverit. Given changing demographics, it willbe impossible for both developed anddeveloping countries to deliver adequateeducationandhealthservices,forexample,to all their citizens, without broadbandinfrastructureinplace.

l) While the benefits of constructingbroadband networks and promotingbroadband-embedded devices maynot always appear obvious in the short-term, over the intermediate and long-term, they demonstrably accelerate theprovision of high-profile digital publicgoods such as digital health (e-healthand m-health), e-learning and e-literacy,

56 57in forming a consensus for broadbandinvestment and uptake. Governmentsshould play a pivotal role in exploringinnovative financing mechanisms andincentivestrategies.

f) Advocacy efforts should be prioritizedforbuildingaglobalmarketinbroadbanddevices,networks,softwareandsolutionsthat will harness the power of networkeffects, as well as spill-over effects ofbroadband across multiple sectors,while improving framework conditionsfor interoperability between broadbandproductsandservices.

g) Ultimately, new national developmentmodels based on universal access tobroadband connectivity and multilingualcontent can aspire to the goal of ‘digitalopportunity’–thatissocialandeconomicdevelopment made possible via accessto knowledge that can narrow gapsbetweenrichandpoorandamongclassesandregions.

h) We urge all relevant stakeholders tocontinuetoposethekeyquestionsofwhatincentivescanbecreatedbygovernmentstoencourageandenabletheprivatesectortoinvest.

aCTioN PoiNT 2 bENEFittiNG FROm tRaNSFORmatiONaL CHaNGEMaximizing social and economicstimulus with broadband inclusionfor all via transformational change inhealthcare, education, government andenvironmentalsustainability.

a) Fundamentally, what matters fordevelopment is how much value will becreatedbybroadbandinclusionforall.WerequestallGovernmentsat various levelsto expedite the delivery where possibleof all public services for governmenttransformation centrally and locally usingbroadband to substantially improve theaccess, transparency, convenience,security, flexibility, quality and cost ofservicedelivery.

b) Political will and leadership at thelevel of Prime Minister or Head of Stateis required: a future-oriented networkedsociety and economy require future-orientedvision,thinkingandprioritization.Broadbandmust be clearly embedded innationaldevelopmentpoliciesthatbuildonbroadbandasadevelopmentaccelerator.

c) National success stories have shownthat a top-down approach matched withgrassroots involvement and ownership isnecessaryforconstructinganationaldigitaleconomy. A clear national policy mustbe developed that not only contributesto the expansion of basic broadbandinfrastructure, but is also an engine fornational competitiveness. Promotingbroadbandroll-outtokeypublicinstitutions(such as schools, libraries, post offices,hospitalsandhealthclinics)isaneffectiveprivate-publicpartnershipstrategy.

d) Broadband is an unrivalled tool forsocial integration and e-inclusion, soapplyingbroadbandtoaddresseconomicand social challenges such as risinghealthcare costs, ageingpopulations andclimatechangemustbeaprimaryfocusformulti-stakeholder partnerships, includingpublic-private partnerships. Governmentsmust recognize that the success ofbroadband initiatives will depend as

muchonthedemandsideinallitsforms,includingeducation,healthcare,ICTskills,availability of public e-services, etc. asonthesupplyside.

e)Governments should consider policiesaimed at stimulating private sectorgrowthandinvestmentthroughinnovativeloan and incentive structures, avoidingadditionaltaxationontheICTsector.Theymayalsoconsiderproactivesubsidiesbygovernmentinservicesincountrieswherethereislittleornopossibilityofattractingprivate investments, and in-demandstimulus through the promotion of digitalpublicgoods,whichhavebeenshown insome cases to contribute to a virtuouscycleof investment frombothpublicandprivatesectorentitiesandaproliferationofpublic-privatepartnerships.

f)Policyobjectivesforbroadbandinclusionmustincludetheprovisionofbroadband-enabled service and applications forvulnerable, disadvantaged and remotegroups,theyouth,andIndigenousPeoples.Inaddition,boostingtrustandconfidencein ubiquitous broadband with regard tosafety,protection,privacyandsecurity isa prerequisite to building consensus andcommitmenttobroadbandinclusionforall.

g) Special attention must be paid toincreasingtheavailabilityandaffordabilityof radio frequency spectrum as a criticalenabler for wireless broadband growth.Fair competition and new services, aswellasregulatoryreformandfairlicensingprocedures, need to be taken intoconsiderationinallocatingradiofrequencyspectrum, under a technology- andservice-neutralapproach.

h) Special attention must also be paid,notably by equipment manufacturers,to ensuring the development of globalstandards and the interoperabilityofglobalnetworks.

i)While inmanycases, thecross-cuttingandcross-sectoralbenefitsofbroadbandhave in the past resulted in stalled orunsustainable investments and in manyways obscured the catalytic effect thatbroadband inclusion for allwill ultimatelyhaveontheMDGs,thesebenefitsmustbebetterexplainedtocitizensandconsumers.

j)Webelievethatbroadbandpoliciesshouldbe expanded to include hardware andsoftware needs, financing requirements,andpolicypriorities.Webelievethatthereisaneedforcomplementary investmentsin supporting technologies (such aselectricity)andinvestmentsincommunity-basedaccessmodels.

k)Broadbandpoliciesshouldbeexpandedrememberingthatoneofthemainreasonsforfosteringbroadbandisthegreatoverallbenefitforsocietyinthenewapplicationsandserviceswhichcanbedeliveredoverit. Given changing demographics, it willbe impossible for both developed anddeveloping countries to deliver adequateeducationandhealthservices,forexample,to all their citizens, without broadbandinfrastructureinplace.

l) While the benefits of constructingbroadband networks and promotingbroadband-embedded devices maynot always appear obvious in the short-term, over the intermediate and long-term, they demonstrably accelerate theprovision of high-profile digital publicgoods such as digital health (e-healthand m-health), e-learning and e-literacy,

58 59e-governmentande-business, leading toeconomicrevitalization,greengrowthandsocialintegration.

m) Tobenefit from thecross-cuttingandcross-sectoral nature of broadband,governments should consider waysof aggregating connectivity onnational broadband networks. Theconnectivity needs of public sectors inall countries will grow as populationscome to expect their governments toexpediteanddeliverpublicadministrationand government services overbroadbandnetworks.

aCTioN PoiNT 3 USiNG tRaNSPaRENt, FaiR, COmPEtitivE, tECHNOLOGy-NEUtRaL mODELSAddressing issues of convergentbroadband networks toward transparentand fair, competitive, technology-neutralmodels, offering interconnection andinteroperability at the national, regionalandgloballevels.

a)Highercapacityaccess to the Internetprovides a platform for a wider rangeof applications so it is implicit thatinvestments in suchcapacitycanbenefitand reward innovative and creativeideas for applications. Those who investin communications capacity are notnecessarily those who may benefit fromapplications and services, so innovativemechanismsneed tobe found toensurethatbroadbanddeployment isnotstalledthroughlackofinvestment.

b) The maximum benefits of broadbandaccessandtransportwilllikelybederivedif sufficient capacity is available andaccesstothiscapacityispossiblethroughadequateandfairmechanisms.Ingeneral,reasonablenetworkmanagementpracticesshould deliver ‘fair’ access to resourcesamongcompetingprovidersofaccess.

c)Itshouldberecognizedthatintelligently-managed state-of-the-art broadbandinfrastructure is theprerequisite for futurenew content services and applications.Without such infrastructure, which needsto be financed adequately by the usersand end-users (eg, customers andanyoneofferingservicesandapplicationsover the Internet), there will be nopossibility for sustainable growth in dataandInternetusage.

d) It is also important to recognizethat no single technology will provideubiquitousbroadbandservices. It is likelythat, where economically and physicallyfeasible, the core of the Internet willtypically use optical fibre to achieve veryhighspeeds.Theinterconnectionoffibre-based networks in the global Internetis most likely to deliver success wherefibreconnectionscanbe implemented. Inaddition, radio infrastructure clearly hasan ongoing role to play. Whether wide-area terrestrial or satellite, broadbandradio access can provide favourableeconomic characteristics in areas lackingfixedinfrastructure.

e) If the full benefits of the broadbandInternet are to be realized for all,international cooperation will be requiredfor enforcing the meaning and utilityof digital signatures, law enforcement,agreementonthedefinitionofabusesand

remedies,andmutualsupportintheeventofattacksand /ormalwarepropagation,among other issues, bearing in mindthat there are already several existinginternationalcooperationprogrammestoaddresstheseissues.

f) Global standards, designed to actas enablers not barriers, deliver clearadvantages including interoperability,economies of scale, and a level playing-fieldforallstakeholders.

aCTioN PoiNT 4 ENabLiNG CONtENt aND aPPLiCatiONS CREatiON Developing the right conditions forbroadband content and applicationscreation, diffusion and distribution viaan enabling environment based on trustand confidence for economic and socialstabilityandprosperity.

a) All relevant stakeholders mustrecognizethat inthedigitaleconomy,theunprecedented opportunities affordedby flows of ideas and information andalmost limitless access to content,culture, knowledge and applicationsposechallenges forexistingnationalandinternationalrulesandregulations.

b) Digital networks have given rise tounprecedentedlevelsofcontentpiracythatwillbefurtherexacerbatedinthebroadbandera.Ascopyrightandintellectualpropertyright infringements multiply, the issue ofremuneration for content creation anddistributionwillbecomeacentralconcern

forallrelevantstakeholdersthatrequiresafarbetterunderstandingofthevaluechainsofdigitalproduction.Policy-makersmustrecognize the need for balance betweenthecreationanddiffusionofcontent,andthatcreatorsinthedigitalworldareentitledtofaircompensation.

c) The global spread of broadbandprovides unprecedented opportunitiesfor promoting cultural diversity throughthe provision of a multitude of contentand services in local languages. This inturnwould lead to a burgeoning of localcultural industries, capacity developmentand help in the creation of jobs. Sucha development also has the potentialof significantly lowering the costs ofaccess, by creating demand for localcontentandservices.

d) Policy-makers should also note thatdigitization has enormous potential toreduce the cost of content distribution,enabling the online exchange of contentatvery lowrates,nomatterhowsmallordispersed a communitymight be. Today,innovative new legal content businessmodelsfortheInternet(eg,Hulu,Spotify)are being created which suggest thattraditional businessmodelsmay need tochangetotacklethechallengesassociatedwithpiracy.

e)Asbroadbandusage increases, issuesof online privacy, confidentiality andsecurityarebecomingmoreimportantandmustbeaddressedatthenational,regionaland international levels. This will requirethe development of technical solutions,as well as education, awareness-raisingand the establishment of related lawsandregulations.At thesametime,globalinternationalcooperationbasedonmulti-

58 59e-governmentande-business, leading toeconomicrevitalization,greengrowthandsocialintegration.

m) Tobenefit from thecross-cuttingandcross-sectoral nature of broadband,governments should consider waysof aggregating connectivity onnational broadband networks. Theconnectivity needs of public sectors inall countries will grow as populationscome to expect their governments toexpediteanddeliverpublicadministrationand government services overbroadbandnetworks.

aCTioN PoiNT 3 USiNG tRaNSPaRENt, FaiR, COmPEtitivE, tECHNOLOGy-NEUtRaL mODELSAddressing issues of convergentbroadband networks toward transparentand fair, competitive, technology-neutralmodels, offering interconnection andinteroperability at the national, regionalandgloballevels.

a)Highercapacityaccess to the Internetprovides a platform for a wider rangeof applications so it is implicit thatinvestments in suchcapacitycanbenefitand reward innovative and creativeideas for applications. Those who investin communications capacity are notnecessarily those who may benefit fromapplications and services, so innovativemechanismsneed tobe found toensurethatbroadbanddeployment isnotstalledthroughlackofinvestment.

b) The maximum benefits of broadbandaccessandtransportwilllikelybederivedif sufficient capacity is available andaccesstothiscapacityispossiblethroughadequateandfairmechanisms.Ingeneral,reasonablenetworkmanagementpracticesshould deliver ‘fair’ access to resourcesamongcompetingprovidersofaccess.

c)Itshouldberecognizedthatintelligently-managed state-of-the-art broadbandinfrastructure is theprerequisite for futurenew content services and applications.Without such infrastructure, which needsto be financed adequately by the usersand end-users (eg, customers andanyoneofferingservicesandapplicationsover the Internet), there will be nopossibility for sustainable growth in dataandInternetusage.

d) It is also important to recognizethat no single technology will provideubiquitousbroadbandservices. It is likelythat, where economically and physicallyfeasible, the core of the Internet willtypically use optical fibre to achieve veryhighspeeds.Theinterconnectionoffibre-based networks in the global Internetis most likely to deliver success wherefibreconnectionscanbe implemented. Inaddition, radio infrastructure clearly hasan ongoing role to play. Whether wide-area terrestrial or satellite, broadbandradio access can provide favourableeconomic characteristics in areas lackingfixedinfrastructure.

e) If the full benefits of the broadbandInternet are to be realized for all,international cooperation will be requiredfor enforcing the meaning and utilityof digital signatures, law enforcement,agreementonthedefinitionofabusesand

remedies,andmutualsupportintheeventofattacksand /ormalwarepropagation,among other issues, bearing in mindthat there are already several existinginternationalcooperationprogrammestoaddresstheseissues.

f) Global standards, designed to actas enablers not barriers, deliver clearadvantages including interoperability,economies of scale, and a level playing-fieldforallstakeholders.

aCTioN PoiNT 4 ENabLiNG CONtENt aND aPPLiCatiONS CREatiON Developing the right conditions forbroadband content and applicationscreation, diffusion and distribution viaan enabling environment based on trustand confidence for economic and socialstabilityandprosperity.

a) All relevant stakeholders mustrecognizethat inthedigitaleconomy,theunprecedented opportunities affordedby flows of ideas and information andalmost limitless access to content,culture, knowledge and applicationsposechallenges forexistingnationalandinternationalrulesandregulations.

b) Digital networks have given rise tounprecedentedlevelsofcontentpiracythatwillbefurtherexacerbatedinthebroadbandera.Ascopyrightandintellectualpropertyright infringements multiply, the issue ofremuneration for content creation anddistributionwillbecomeacentralconcern

forallrelevantstakeholdersthatrequiresafarbetterunderstandingofthevaluechainsofdigitalproduction.Policy-makersmustrecognize the need for balance betweenthecreationanddiffusionofcontent,andthatcreatorsinthedigitalworldareentitledtofaircompensation.

c) The global spread of broadbandprovides unprecedented opportunitiesfor promoting cultural diversity throughthe provision of a multitude of contentand services in local languages. This inturnwould lead to a burgeoning of localcultural industries, capacity developmentand help in the creation of jobs. Sucha development also has the potentialof significantly lowering the costs ofaccess, by creating demand for localcontentandservices.

d) Policy-makers should also note thatdigitization has enormous potential toreduce the cost of content distribution,enabling the online exchange of contentatvery lowrates,nomatterhowsmallordispersed a communitymight be. Today,innovative new legal content businessmodelsfortheInternet(eg,Hulu,Spotify)are being created which suggest thattraditional businessmodelsmay need tochangetotacklethechallengesassociatedwithpiracy.

e)Asbroadbandusage increases, issuesof online privacy, confidentiality andsecurityarebecomingmoreimportantandmustbeaddressedatthenational,regionaland international levels. This will requirethe development of technical solutions,as well as education, awareness-raisingand the establishment of related lawsandregulations.At thesametime,globalinternationalcooperationbasedonmulti-

60 61stakeholder partnerships is needed asthese issues are often multi-sectoralinnature.

f) Implementing localbroadbandprojectsrequires a well-organized administrativesystem that stimulates not only thegovernment’s engagement, but alsoparticipation from the local community.Localcommunitiesshouldbeencouragedto voluntarily engage in projects byidentifying and promoting the bestpracticesinlocalICTdevelopment,takingintoaccountlocallanguages.

g) Promoting and preserving ethicalaspects and principles, while developingcreativemultilingualcontentanduniversalaccess to ICTs is central for achievingan equitable presence in, and accessto, cyberspace. Embracing coherentethical guidelines is essential in the faceof increasing globalization. Thus, thedefinition and adoption of best practicesandvoluntary,self-regulatory,professionaland ethical guidelines should beencouraged among media professionals,informationproducers, users and serviceproviders with due respect to freedomof expression. Access to information forall remains a fundamental right whichshould be upheld with efficiency andimagination in a spirit of equity, justiceandmutualrespect.

aCTioN PoiNT 5 EmPLOyiNG bROaDbaND tO HELP COmbat CLimatE CHaNGE Utilizing broadband technology andinnovation for energy conservation andimproved efficiency, emergency disasterresponse, and monitoring, reporting andverificationofclimatechangedata.

a) We urge public and private partnersto make full use of technologies andapplications such as smart grids, remoteworking and intelligent transport systemswhich use broadband connectivityto ultimately benefit all nations in thedrive towards energy conservation

andefficiency.

b) We encourage investment strategiestomaximizeenergysavingsviatheuseof‘virtual’ services enabled by broadbandinfrastructure in health, education, publicadministration, transportation, agriculture,environment and content distributionnetworks,amongothers.

c)Weencouragethewidespreadutilizationofrenewableenergysourcessuchaswater,windandsolarenergyinthedeploymentofbroadbandnetworks.

d) We note that the global increase ofdevastatingearthquakes,floods,tsunamis,hurricanes, drought and wildfire activity,whichmayresultfromglobalwarming,haveemphasizedthecriticalneedforinstantandinteractive emergency response, disasterreliefandpost-reconstructioneffortsthatcanbeenhancedviabroadbandnetworks.

e)Webelievetheuniversaldeploymentofbroadbandnetworkswillbeaninvaluabletool forbettermonitoring,measuringandevaluationofclimatechangedata.

aCTioN PoiNT 6 aCCELERatiNG bROaDbaND aCCESS FOR wOmEN aND GiRLSAccelerating access to broadbandinfrastructure and services for womenandgirls,topromotegenderequalityandsocialandeconomicdevelopment.

a) Active steps should be taken toaccelerate access to broadbandinfrastructure and the use of broadband-enabled services by women andgirls, in order to promote genderequality, empowerment and the socialand economic development of bothmenandwomen.

b) Governments should encourageinvestment inbroadband infrastructuretohelpwomenbecomebettereducatedandsupporttheirchildren’seducation,improvetheir access to healthcare, receive jobtraining, conduct meaningful commercialactivities, enforce their legal rights, andplay an active role in local and nationalgovernmentaffairs.

c) Policy-makers should also recognizetheimportanceofbroadbandforwomenintheunpaideconomyanddomesticfemaleworkersinfulfillingtheirworkcommitments,and bring reliable remittance servicesand affordable communications to thoseworkingawayfromtheirhomecountries.

d) Governments should set targets forthe provision of broadband access andservices to women and girls and tracktheir progress through the collectionof reliable sex-disaggregated data, asrecommended by the United NationsDivision for the Advancement of Womenin2005.Specifictargetsshouldbesetforbroadband-enabledtraining.GovernmentsparticipatingintheMDGassessmentmayconsidersettingthetargetofensuringthatat least 50 per cent of women and girlshavebroadbandaccessby2015,includingthroughcommunityICTcentresconnectedtobroadbandnetworks.

e) Policy-makers should encourage theuse of broadband networks to eradicatefunctional illiteracy and promote careertraining, and other essential ICT skills,including financial and business literacyskills forwomenandgirls.Such training,which can be provided in communityICTcentres,willenablewomentosetuponline businesses, or to use broadbandservices,suchase-commerceandsocialnetworkingsites,toenhancetheirongoinglivelihoodsandeconomicactivities.

f) Governments must recognize thepotential dangers posed by broadbandservices to women and girls, especiallyin luring them into prostitution ortrafficking, and take active steps tominimizethesedangers.

g)Governmentsshouldbeencouragedtocreatepoliciestoensurethatwomenandgirlshaveaccesstothesameopportunitiesas men and boys in terms of access tobroadband-based services at schoolandwork.

60 61stakeholder partnerships is needed asthese issues are often multi-sectoralinnature.

f) Implementing localbroadbandprojectsrequires a well-organized administrativesystem that stimulates not only thegovernment’s engagement, but alsoparticipation from the local community.Localcommunitiesshouldbeencouragedto voluntarily engage in projects byidentifying and promoting the bestpracticesinlocalICTdevelopment,takingintoaccountlocallanguages.

g) Promoting and preserving ethicalaspects and principles, while developingcreativemultilingualcontentanduniversalaccess to ICTs is central for achievingan equitable presence in, and accessto, cyberspace. Embracing coherentethical guidelines is essential in the faceof increasing globalization. Thus, thedefinition and adoption of best practicesandvoluntary,self-regulatory,professionaland ethical guidelines should beencouraged among media professionals,informationproducers, users and serviceproviders with due respect to freedomof expression. Access to information forall remains a fundamental right whichshould be upheld with efficiency andimagination in a spirit of equity, justiceandmutualrespect.

aCTioN PoiNT 5 EmPLOyiNG bROaDbaND tO HELP COmbat CLimatE CHaNGE Utilizing broadband technology andinnovation for energy conservation andimproved efficiency, emergency disasterresponse, and monitoring, reporting andverificationofclimatechangedata.

a) We urge public and private partnersto make full use of technologies andapplications such as smart grids, remoteworking and intelligent transport systemswhich use broadband connectivityto ultimately benefit all nations in thedrive towards energy conservation

andefficiency.

b) We encourage investment strategiestomaximizeenergysavingsviatheuseof‘virtual’ services enabled by broadbandinfrastructure in health, education, publicadministration, transportation, agriculture,environment and content distributionnetworks,amongothers.

c)Weencouragethewidespreadutilizationofrenewableenergysourcessuchaswater,windandsolarenergyinthedeploymentofbroadbandnetworks.

d) We note that the global increase ofdevastatingearthquakes,floods,tsunamis,hurricanes, drought and wildfire activity,whichmayresultfromglobalwarming,haveemphasizedthecriticalneedforinstantandinteractive emergency response, disasterreliefandpost-reconstructioneffortsthatcanbeenhancedviabroadbandnetworks.

e)Webelievetheuniversaldeploymentofbroadbandnetworkswillbeaninvaluabletool forbettermonitoring,measuringandevaluationofclimatechangedata.

aCTioN PoiNT 6 aCCELERatiNG bROaDbaND aCCESS FOR wOmEN aND GiRLSAccelerating access to broadbandinfrastructure and services for womenandgirls,topromotegenderequalityandsocialandeconomicdevelopment.

a) Active steps should be taken toaccelerate access to broadbandinfrastructure and the use of broadband-enabled services by women andgirls, in order to promote genderequality, empowerment and the socialand economic development of bothmenandwomen.

b) Governments should encourageinvestment inbroadband infrastructuretohelpwomenbecomebettereducatedandsupporttheirchildren’seducation,improvetheir access to healthcare, receive jobtraining, conduct meaningful commercialactivities, enforce their legal rights, andplay an active role in local and nationalgovernmentaffairs.

c) Policy-makers should also recognizetheimportanceofbroadbandforwomenintheunpaideconomyanddomesticfemaleworkersinfulfillingtheirworkcommitments,and bring reliable remittance servicesand affordable communications to thoseworkingawayfromtheirhomecountries.

d) Governments should set targets forthe provision of broadband access andservices to women and girls and tracktheir progress through the collectionof reliable sex-disaggregated data, asrecommended by the United NationsDivision for the Advancement of Womenin2005.Specifictargetsshouldbesetforbroadband-enabledtraining.GovernmentsparticipatingintheMDGassessmentmayconsidersettingthetargetofensuringthatat least 50 per cent of women and girlshavebroadbandaccessby2015,includingthroughcommunityICTcentresconnectedtobroadbandnetworks.

e) Policy-makers should encourage theuse of broadband networks to eradicatefunctional illiteracy and promote careertraining, and other essential ICT skills,including financial and business literacyskills forwomenandgirls.Such training,which can be provided in communityICTcentres,willenablewomentosetuponline businesses, or to use broadbandservices,suchase-commerceandsocialnetworkingsites,toenhancetheirongoinglivelihoodsandeconomicactivities.

f) Governments must recognize thepotential dangers posed by broadbandservices to women and girls, especiallyin luring them into prostitution ortrafficking, and take active steps tominimizethesedangers.

g)Governmentsshouldbeencouragedtocreatepoliciestoensurethatwomenandgirlshaveaccesstothesameopportunitiesas men and boys in terms of access tobroadband-based services at schoolandwork.

62 63aCTioN PoiNT 7 SUPPORtiNG wiDER bROaDbaND iNCLUSiON FOR aLLSupporting wider broadband inclusionfor all for least developed countries andcountries in special need and extendingbroadbandaccesstoruralandremoteareasandvulnerableanddisadvantagedgroups.

a) Efforts shouldbe renewed tomobilizepublicandprivatesupportforasignificantimprovement of basic ICT infrastructurein countries where such infrastructure ismostlacking,aswellasinruralandremoteareas,andfordisadvantagedgroups.Inthisregard,theparticularsuitabilityofspecialsolutionssuchasmobilebroadbandandthe potential offered by satellite systemswith strong fibre optic backhaul to serveLDCsandothercountriesinspecialneedshouldbenoted.Usingthetoolsthatgetthejobdonebest,apartnershipshouldbeforgedbetweenbroadband(pointtopoint)and broadcasting (point to multipoint)infrastructure,applicationsandservices.

b) An economic analysis relevant toLeast Developed Countries, LandlockedDeveloping Countries and Small IslandDeveloping States should be undertakentodeterminesustainablebusinessmodelsfor adequate returns on broadbandinvestment at minimum income levelswith maximum spill-over benefits acrossmultiple sectors of the local society andeconomy. The same applies to rural andremoteareas,anddisadvantagedgroups.The innovative use of ‘digital dividends’shouldbeconsidered.

c) Where broadband networks are builtin underserved communities, continued

supportsuchastrainingandpromotionisnecessarytofacilitatetheiruse,takingintoconsideration local languages, educationneedsandliteracyissues.

d)Specialattentionshouldbegiventotheprovision of broadband for education aswell as for disadvantaged and vulnerablegroups, with particular reference toindigenous peoples, women and girls,persons with disabilities, youth andchildrenandethnicminorities.

e)SupportshouldbegiventopartnershipstofacilitatethesettingupoflocalInternetexchange points (IXPs) and nationalInternetServiceProvider(ISP)associationsto promote wider broadband inclusion,especially in the regions and populationsoftheworldwhoneeditmost.

f) The specific needs of LDCs shouldalsobetakenintoaccountwhileplanningregional Internet backbones. Historyproves that communication linkagesbetween neighbouring countries havebeenkeypromotersandleverstopromotesocio-economicprosperityandcontinuousdevelopment. International connectivityandregionalnetworkinfrastructurecanbeapowerfultoolforelaboratingsustainabledevelopmentinLDCs.

g) Encouragement should be given toequipment and service providers toworkcooperativelywith LDCs, for example viaPPPstoreducedeliverycosts.

h) Broadband should also be consideredasa solutionwhereverdisaster relief andpost-conflictreconstructionarepriorities-satelliteservicesareofparticularrelevanceand importance in this regard, aswell asothermobilebroadbandtechnologies.

aCTioN PoiNT 8 bROaDbaND mODELLiNG, EvaLUatiON aND mONitORiNG Modelling, evaluation and monitoring ofrelativetargetsandtimelinesforbroadbandinclusion, with the development ofeconomic, social and usage indicatorsappropriatetothebroadbandenvironment.

a)Itislikelythatnewmethodsformodellingthe social and economic evidence ofimpact of broadband diffusion will needto be developed in a multi-stakeholderpartnership that can be facilitated bya system-wide UN response, such asthe Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development.

b)Effectiveimplementationofbroadbandpolicy needs reliable evidence andcomparableindicatorsonICTaccess,useand impact. Hard targets and timelines,such as those identified to monitorthe World Summit on the InformationSociety (WSIS) targets, are required forevaluatingandmonitoringMemberStates’and regions’ progress in broadbanddeployment, as well as agreementon annual actions to help meet andmeasuresuchprogress.Toassessglobalimprovements, relative indicators andglobalcomparisonsareneeded.

c) Acore list of ICT indicators, includinganumberofbroadband-relatedindicators,hasbeenagreeduponbytheinternationalstatisticalcommunityundertheframeworkof the global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development. This work needsto be expanded to develop measurableindicators on all aspects of an inclusive,

broadband-basedsocietyandmethodsformodellingthesocialandeconomicimpactof broadband diffusion, in cooperationwithrelevantstakeholders.

d) Asetofspecific indicatorsshouldbecreatedthatwillallowbroadbandprogresstobemeasured.Suchindicatorswillneedto combine hard/quantitative data (eg,infrastructure, equipment, penetration,cost etc) and soft/qualitative ones (eg,valueandcontentcreatedfrombroadband,cultural/linguisticdiversity,etc).

aCTioN PoiNT 9 bUiLDiNG a GLObaL PaRtNERSHiP FOR bROaDbaND DEvELOPmENtBuilding a global partnership forbroadband development with concretecommitments, recognizing that thecross-sector and cross-cutting natureof broadband will take us beyondtheMDGagenda.

a)Urgentandrenewedattentionisneededin capitalizing on the consensus agreedin MDG 8 to build a global partnershipfor development in cooperation with theprivate sector and ICT communities toreap the full rewards of innovation andinvestment.

b)ExamplescouldincludeidentificationofUNsystemandMemberStateprogrammesor initiatives for development that arebased on technology outreach platformsand which may benefit from broadbandscalability. An initial step should be toidentify and carry out various broadband

62 63aCTioN PoiNT 7 SUPPORtiNG wiDER bROaDbaND iNCLUSiON FOR aLLSupporting wider broadband inclusionfor all for least developed countries andcountries in special need and extendingbroadbandaccesstoruralandremoteareasandvulnerableanddisadvantagedgroups.

a) Efforts shouldbe renewed tomobilizepublicandprivatesupportforasignificantimprovement of basic ICT infrastructurein countries where such infrastructure ismostlacking,aswellasinruralandremoteareas,andfordisadvantagedgroups.Inthisregard,theparticularsuitabilityofspecialsolutionssuchasmobilebroadbandandthe potential offered by satellite systemswith strong fibre optic backhaul to serveLDCsandothercountriesinspecialneedshouldbenoted.Usingthetoolsthatgetthejobdonebest,apartnershipshouldbeforgedbetweenbroadband(pointtopoint)and broadcasting (point to multipoint)infrastructure,applicationsandservices.

b) An economic analysis relevant toLeast Developed Countries, LandlockedDeveloping Countries and Small IslandDeveloping States should be undertakentodeterminesustainablebusinessmodelsfor adequate returns on broadbandinvestment at minimum income levelswith maximum spill-over benefits acrossmultiple sectors of the local society andeconomy. The same applies to rural andremoteareas,anddisadvantagedgroups.The innovative use of ‘digital dividends’shouldbeconsidered.

c) Where broadband networks are builtin underserved communities, continued

supportsuchastrainingandpromotionisnecessarytofacilitatetheiruse,takingintoconsideration local languages, educationneedsandliteracyissues.

d)Specialattentionshouldbegiventotheprovision of broadband for education aswell as for disadvantaged and vulnerablegroups, with particular reference toindigenous peoples, women and girls,persons with disabilities, youth andchildrenandethnicminorities.

e)SupportshouldbegiventopartnershipstofacilitatethesettingupoflocalInternetexchange points (IXPs) and nationalInternetServiceProvider(ISP)associationsto promote wider broadband inclusion,especially in the regions and populationsoftheworldwhoneeditmost.

f) The specific needs of LDCs shouldalsobetakenintoaccountwhileplanningregional Internet backbones. Historyproves that communication linkagesbetween neighbouring countries havebeenkeypromotersandleverstopromotesocio-economicprosperityandcontinuousdevelopment. International connectivityandregionalnetworkinfrastructurecanbeapowerfultoolforelaboratingsustainabledevelopmentinLDCs.

g) Encouragement should be given toequipment and service providers toworkcooperativelywith LDCs, for example viaPPPstoreducedeliverycosts.

h) Broadband should also be consideredasa solutionwhereverdisaster relief andpost-conflictreconstructionarepriorities-satelliteservicesareofparticularrelevanceand importance in this regard, aswell asothermobilebroadbandtechnologies.

aCTioN PoiNT 8 bROaDbaND mODELLiNG, EvaLUatiON aND mONitORiNG Modelling, evaluation and monitoring ofrelativetargetsandtimelinesforbroadbandinclusion, with the development ofeconomic, social and usage indicatorsappropriatetothebroadbandenvironment.

a)Itislikelythatnewmethodsformodellingthe social and economic evidence ofimpact of broadband diffusion will needto be developed in a multi-stakeholderpartnership that can be facilitated bya system-wide UN response, such asthe Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development.

b)Effectiveimplementationofbroadbandpolicy needs reliable evidence andcomparableindicatorsonICTaccess,useand impact. Hard targets and timelines,such as those identified to monitorthe World Summit on the InformationSociety (WSIS) targets, are required forevaluatingandmonitoringMemberStates’and regions’ progress in broadbanddeployment, as well as agreementon annual actions to help meet andmeasuresuchprogress.Toassessglobalimprovements, relative indicators andglobalcomparisonsareneeded.

c) Acore list of ICT indicators, includinganumberofbroadband-relatedindicators,hasbeenagreeduponbytheinternationalstatisticalcommunityundertheframeworkof the global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development. This work needsto be expanded to develop measurableindicators on all aspects of an inclusive,

broadband-basedsocietyandmethodsformodellingthesocialandeconomicimpactof broadband diffusion, in cooperationwithrelevantstakeholders.

d) Asetofspecific indicatorsshouldbecreatedthatwillallowbroadbandprogresstobemeasured.Suchindicatorswillneedto combine hard/quantitative data (eg,infrastructure, equipment, penetration,cost etc) and soft/qualitative ones (eg,valueandcontentcreatedfrombroadband,cultural/linguisticdiversity,etc).

aCTioN PoiNT 9 bUiLDiNG a GLObaL PaRtNERSHiP FOR bROaDbaND DEvELOPmENtBuilding a global partnership forbroadband development with concretecommitments, recognizing that thecross-sector and cross-cutting natureof broadband will take us beyondtheMDGagenda.

a)Urgentandrenewedattentionisneededin capitalizing on the consensus agreedin MDG 8 to build a global partnershipfor development in cooperation with theprivate sector and ICT communities toreap the full rewards of innovation andinvestment.

b)ExamplescouldincludeidentificationofUNsystemandMemberStateprogrammesor initiatives for development that arebased on technology outreach platformsand which may benefit from broadbandscalability. An initial step should be toidentify and carry out various broadband

64 65projects that require global cooperation,such as knowledge-sharing throughbroadband, global disaster prevention,resolving educational problems anddiseaseeradication.

c) A baseline evaluation of the catalyticimpact of broadband technology asan enabler for the achievement of theinter-dependent MDG agenda shouldbe developed in order to quantify thesocio-economic impact of these publicprivatepartnerships.

d) The successful deployment ofbroadband would be assisted by apractical support system at the UnitedNations level which will enable the bestpracticesofbroadbandusetobesharedandspreadglobally.

aCTioN PoiNT 10 NExt StEPS FOR bROaDbaND PaRtNERSHiPS aND PROJECtSNext steps for partnerships, withconcrete coordination includinginnovative and multi-stakeholder follow-up mechanisms at the national, regionaland global levels, including nationalbroadbandcommittees.

a) A number of follow-up mechanismsto theBroadband Commission for Digital Development are recommended thatwould comprise innovative, dynamic andflexibleworkingmethods:

• A High-Level Advocacy Groupmodelled on the Broadband

Commission for Digital Development.• A Public Private Partnership

PlatformforSustainableBroadbandBusinessModels.

• A multi-stakeholder Think Tank forBroadband4Development.

b) It is strongly recommended that theprincipal follow-up actions suggested bythe Broadband Commission for Digital Development are firmly and effectivelyanchored in the United Nations’forthcoming ‘MDG Accelerator andSustainabilityFramework’.

c) We request the UN Secretary-Generalto consider embeddingbroadband in theUN Development Assistance Framework(UNDAF).Inpractice,thiswouldbeatwo-partactionableitem:a. Agreement of a universal policy forbroadbandintheUNSystem;andb. Inclusion of a discrete line item in alltechnicalassistanceprojects.

d) Thistaskshouldbepursuedundertheumbrella of building a global partnershipfor development between the privatesector,thecivilsocietyandICTcommunity,including making available the benefitsof new technologies, especially ICTs(MDG8). A baseline measurement of thecatalytic impactofbroadbandtechnologyas an enabler for the achievement of theinter-dependent MDG agenda should bedeveloped inorder toquantify the socio-economicimpactofthesePPPs.

e) Best practices and case studiesof investment projects in developingcountries should be collected andsummarized, ideally using an onlinerepository. The Broadband Commission for Digital Development should considerforming a project or a working group to

compile this information. Project criteriashouldbedefinedsothattheinformationcollectedisusefultotheCommission.TheCommission should then analyze goodcasestudiesforreplicabilityandscalability.

f)BroadbandCommissionersmaysupportpilot projects which will demonstratethe use of broadband technologies insupportingtheMDGs.

g) Finally, we recommend the creationof National Broadband Plans in all the192 Member States of the UN, with atwin focus on advocacy and investmentinbroadband.

64 65projects that require global cooperation,such as knowledge-sharing throughbroadband, global disaster prevention,resolving educational problems anddiseaseeradication.

c) A baseline evaluation of the catalyticimpact of broadband technology asan enabler for the achievement of theinter-dependent MDG agenda shouldbe developed in order to quantify thesocio-economic impact of these publicprivatepartnerships.

d) The successful deployment ofbroadband would be assisted by apractical support system at the UnitedNations level which will enable the bestpracticesofbroadbandusetobesharedandspreadglobally.

aCTioN PoiNT 10 NExt StEPS FOR bROaDbaND PaRtNERSHiPS aND PROJECtSNext steps for partnerships, withconcrete coordination includinginnovative and multi-stakeholder follow-up mechanisms at the national, regionaland global levels, including nationalbroadbandcommittees.

a) A number of follow-up mechanismsto theBroadband Commission for Digital Development are recommended thatwould comprise innovative, dynamic andflexibleworkingmethods:

• A High-Level Advocacy Groupmodelled on the Broadband

Commission for Digital Development.• A Public Private Partnership

PlatformforSustainableBroadbandBusinessModels.

• A multi-stakeholder Think Tank forBroadband4Development.

b) It is strongly recommended that theprincipal follow-up actions suggested bythe Broadband Commission for Digital Development are firmly and effectivelyanchored in the United Nations’forthcoming ‘MDG Accelerator andSustainabilityFramework’.

c) We request the UN Secretary-Generalto consider embeddingbroadband in theUN Development Assistance Framework(UNDAF).Inpractice,thiswouldbeatwo-partactionableitem:a. Agreement of a universal policy forbroadbandintheUNSystem;andb. Inclusion of a discrete line item in alltechnicalassistanceprojects.

d) Thistaskshouldbepursuedundertheumbrella of building a global partnershipfor development between the privatesector,thecivilsocietyandICTcommunity,including making available the benefitsof new technologies, especially ICTs(MDG8). A baseline measurement of thecatalytic impactofbroadbandtechnologyas an enabler for the achievement of theinter-dependent MDG agenda should bedeveloped inorder toquantify the socio-economicimpactofthesePPPs.

e) Best practices and case studiesof investment projects in developingcountries should be collected andsummarized, ideally using an onlinerepository. The Broadband Commission for Digital Development should considerforming a project or a working group to

compile this information. Project criteriashouldbedefinedsothattheinformationcollectedisusefultotheCommission.TheCommission should then analyze goodcasestudiesforreplicabilityandscalability.

f)BroadbandCommissionersmaysupportpilot projects which will demonstratethe use of broadband technologies insupportingtheMDGs.

g) Finally, we recommend the creationof National Broadband Plans in all the192 Member States of the UN, with atwin focus on advocacy and investmentinbroadband.

66 67

Acknowledgements

TheCo-ChairsandVice-ChairswouldliketothanktheSecretariesoftheCommission–namely,IndrajitBanerjee,DoreenBogdan-MartinandDenisGilhooly–andthecoreteamof PatriciaBenoit-Guyot, PhillippaBiggs, JanetBurgess, JoseMariaDiazBatanero,VanessaGray,TobyJohnson,PiersLetcher,YouliaLozanova,SarahParkes,BéatricePluchon,JaroslawPonder,Ana-DoryRodriguez,SusanSchorr,RobertShawandSusanTeltscher, aswell asPaulBudde, for their unfailing efforts in the preparation of thisReport.TheInDesignversionofthisReportwaspreparedbyNkumbeNjume-Ebong,underthesupervisionofDanielLutz.WealsothankallCommissionersandFocalPointsfortheirdedicatedandextraordinarilysubstantiveinputthroughoutthisprocess.

66 67

Acknowledgements

TheCo-ChairsandVice-ChairswouldliketothanktheSecretariesoftheCommission–namely,IndrajitBanerjee,DoreenBogdan-MartinandDenisGilhooly–andthecoreteamof PatriciaBenoit-Guyot, PhillippaBiggs, JanetBurgess, JoseMariaDiazBatanero,VanessaGray,TobyJohnson,PiersLetcher,YouliaLozanova,SarahParkes,BéatricePluchon,JaroslawPonder,Ana-DoryRodriguez,SusanSchorr,RobertShawandSusanTeltscher, aswell asPaulBudde, for their unfailing efforts in the preparation of thisReport.TheInDesignversionofthisReportwaspreparedbyNkumbeNjume-Ebong,underthesupervisionofDanielLutz.WealsothankallCommissionersandFocalPointsfortheirdedicatedandextraordinarilysubstantiveinputthroughoutthisprocess.

68 694G Fourth-Generation Mobile TelephonyaiDS AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndromeCDma CodeDivisionMultipleAccessDOCSiS DataOverCableServiceInterfaceSpecificationDSL DigitalSubscriberLineERP Entreprise Resource PlanningEv-DO Evolution-DataOptimizedFttH Fibre-To-The-HomeGDP GrossDomesticProductGHG GreenhouseGasGPS GlobalPositioningSystemGSm GlobalSystemforMobileCommunicationsHiv HumanImmunodeficiencyVirusHSDPa High-SpeedDownlinkPacketAccessiCt InformationandCommunicationTechnologyimS IPMultimediaSubsystemimt InternationalMobileTelecommunicationsiP InternetProtocoliPRs IntellectualPropertyRightsiSP InternetServiceProvideritU InternationalTelecommunicationUnionixP InternetexchangepointLDCs LeastDevelopedCountriesLtE Long-TermEvolutionmDGs MillenniumDevelopmentGoalsNbN NationalBroadbandNetworkODa OfficialDevelopmentAssistanceOECD OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopmentPPP Public-PrivatePartnershipPRSP PovertyReductionStrategyPaperR&D Research&DevelopmentSiDS SmallIslandDevelopingStatesSmEs Small-andMedium-sizedEnterprisestCP TransmissionControlProtocolUmtS UniversalMobileTelecommunicationsSystemUNDESa UNDepartmentforEconomicandSocialAffairsUNECa UNEconomicCommissionforAfricaUNECE UNEconomicCommissionforEuropeUNESCaP UNEconomic&SocialCommissionforAsiaandthePacificUNESCO UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganizationUNESCwa UNEconomic&SocialCommissionforWesternAsiaUPE UniversalPrimaryEducationwaC WholesaleApplicationsCommunitywHO WorldHealthOrganizationwLaN WirelessLocalAreaNetworkwSiS WorldSummitontheInformationSociety

LiST OFACrONymS AND ABBrEviATiONS

68 694G Fourth-Generation Mobile TelephonyaiDS AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndromeCDma CodeDivisionMultipleAccessDOCSiS DataOverCableServiceInterfaceSpecificationDSL DigitalSubscriberLineERP Entreprise Resource PlanningEv-DO Evolution-DataOptimizedFttH Fibre-To-The-HomeGDP GrossDomesticProductGHG GreenhouseGasGPS GlobalPositioningSystemGSm GlobalSystemforMobileCommunicationsHiv HumanImmunodeficiencyVirusHSDPa High-SpeedDownlinkPacketAccessiCt InformationandCommunicationTechnologyimS IPMultimediaSubsystemimt InternationalMobileTelecommunicationsiP InternetProtocoliPRs IntellectualPropertyRightsiSP InternetServiceProvideritU InternationalTelecommunicationUnionixP InternetexchangepointLDCs LeastDevelopedCountriesLtE Long-TermEvolutionmDGs MillenniumDevelopmentGoalsNbN NationalBroadbandNetworkODa OfficialDevelopmentAssistanceOECD OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopmentPPP Public-PrivatePartnershipPRSP PovertyReductionStrategyPaperR&D Research&DevelopmentSiDS SmallIslandDevelopingStatesSmEs Small-andMedium-sizedEnterprisestCP TransmissionControlProtocolUmtS UniversalMobileTelecommunicationsSystemUNDESa UNDepartmentforEconomicandSocialAffairsUNECa UNEconomicCommissionforAfricaUNECE UNEconomicCommissionforEuropeUNESCaP UNEconomic&SocialCommissionforAsiaandthePacificUNESCO UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganizationUNESCwa UNEconomic&SocialCommissionforWesternAsiaUPE UniversalPrimaryEducationwaC WholesaleApplicationsCommunitywHO WorldHealthOrganizationwLaN WirelessLocalAreaNetworkwSiS WorldSummitontheInformationSociety

LiST OFACrONymS AND ABBrEviATiONS

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