GENEVA (AN) — The global effort to connect the world’s last 2.6 billion people is falling dangerously behind schedule, with a new report from a United Nations agency projecting the cost could soar to nearly $2.8 trillion by the end of the decade.
The figure is a stark reminder of the widening chasm between the world’s digitally connected "haves" and "have-nots."
The "Connecting Humanity Action Blueprint," released on Monday by the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N.’s digital technologies arm, paints a troubling picture: despite progress in recent years, the momentum gained during the pandemic is fading.
The report is meant to serve as a call to action for governments, the technology industry, and development organizations, arguing that without a renewed public-private partnership, the ambitious goal of a connected world by 2030 will remain just out of reach.
It warns that as advanced nations deploy next-generation technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence, the digital gap is growing deeper, not shallower.
The staggering sum, a nearly fivefold increase from an assessment in 2020, is more than just a matter of building infrastructure. While the lion's share of the cost — some $1.7 trillion — is dedicated to laying the physical groundwork with fiber, fixed wireless, and satellite networks, the blueprint highlights that connectivity is meaningless without affordability and skills.
The report breaks down the remaining costs into three critical areas: $983 billion to make smartphones and broadband services affordable for millions of low-income families; $152 billion to teach essential digital skills, empowering people to find jobs and access education; and a comparatively small but crucial $600 million to modernize the outdated policies and regulations that stifle digital growth in many countries.
"This dramatic increase underscores the urgency for international cooperation, collective investment, and the sharing of expertise if we are to achieve the vision of universal, meaningful connectivity for all," said Haytham AlOhali, acting governor of Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission.
ITU’s Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin underscored the transformative power of a digitally connected world. "Digital connectivity means creating opportunities for education, jobs, and access to essential services that can transform lives and communities," she said. "These are investments that will contribute to a prosperous digital future for all."
