21 September 2015: The 2015 report of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development provides a snapshot of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Industry with regard to fixed and mobile broadband deployment, affordability and usage, and their utility in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ‘State of Broadband 2015: Broadband as a Foundation for Sustainable Development’ assesses both the progress made in broadband connectivity and remaining challenges and targets, including in the fields of education, content and multilingualism.

The Broadband Commission was launched by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call to step up efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The report notes that: 3.2 billion people are connected in 2015, up from 2.9 billion in 2014, amounting to 43% of the global population; internet is only accessible to 35% of people in developing countries; and over 90% of people in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) do not have access to any kind of Internet connectivity. The 2015 figures show that the top ten countries for household internet penetration are located in Asia or the Middle East: the Republic of Korea continues to have the world’s highest household broadband penetration, with 98.5% of homes connected, followed by Qatar (98%) and Saudi Arabia (94%). The lowest levels of internet access are mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa, with internet available to less than 2% of the populations in Burundi, Eritrea, Guinea and Somalia.

The State of Broadband 2015 offers policy recommendations on maximizing the impact of broadband, and identifies three areas of action: the multilingual web; the extension to rural areas; and the move towards an Internet of Things, as well as People, placing a particular focus on gender equality as a stand-alone target in access to broadband by 2020.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General and co-Vice Chair of the Broadband Commission, said “we must do everything to support States, especially developing States” in using new technologies to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide, to develop knowledge societies, goals that are reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Bokova added that governments must make stronger efforts to ensure access, use and affordability of technologies, and “build the capacities of all women and men to make the most of all new opportunities.” [UNESCO Press Release] [UN Press Release] [Publication: The State of Broadband 2015: Broadband as a Foundation for Sustainable Development]