Connecting the Unconnected in the field of Education Excellence, Cyber Security & Rural Solutions and Women Empowerment in ICT

Summary

This discussion focused on “Connecting the Unconnected” in education, cybersecurity, and rural solutions, with particular emphasis on India’s digital achievements and their global implications. The event was organized by the CMII Association of India during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), featuring government officials, ITU directors, and technology experts both in-person and online.

Indian officials highlighted the country’s remarkable digital transformation, including the Aadhaar digital identity system serving 1.3 billion people, the UPI payment system adopted by 17 countries, and the BharatNet project – a $20 billion fiber optic infrastructure initiative connecting rural villages. Speakers emphasized India’s rapid 5G rollout and efforts to provide 4G connectivity to over 640,000 villages, with only a few thousand remaining unconnected. The discussion revealed that India has achieved some of the world’s lowest data rates at less than 10 rupees per GB, making connectivity more affordable for rural populations.

ITU Director Cosmas Zavazava noted that 2.6 billion people globally remain unconnected and emphasized the importance of cybersecurity capacity building, particularly for least developed countries that lag 10 years behind in cyber capabilities. Several speakers addressed the persistent digital divides, including urban-rural gaps and gender disparities, with less than 35% of rural Indian women owning mobile phones. The conversation also touched on the challenges of transitioning 300 million Indians from 2G to advanced networks and the need for affordable devices.

Participants discussed the integration of AI in 6G networks, cybersecurity education, and the importance of making newly connected populations aware of digital risks like deepfakes and phishing. The session concluded with calls for India to share its digital success stories more broadly and a proposal for an 18th Sustainable Development Goal focused on “meaningful, safe digital life for citizens.”

Keypoints

## Major Discussion Points:

– **India’s Digital Infrastructure Achievements**: Extensive discussion of India’s successful digital initiatives including UPI (Unified Payments Interface) adopted by 17 countries, Aadhaar digital identity system serving 1 billion people, rapid 5G rollout, and the BharatNet project – a $20 billion fiber optic network connecting rural villages.

– **Connecting the Unconnected Through Infrastructure**: Focus on bridging the digital divide by providing 4G/5G connectivity to India’s 640,000 villages, with emphasis on making internet affordable through fiber-to-home broadband connections to complement mobile services.

– **Cybersecurity and Digital Safety**: Concerns about protecting newly connected populations from cyber threats, AI-enabled scams, deepfakes, and the need for cybersecurity education alongside connectivity expansion, particularly highlighting the vulnerability of developing nations.

– **Gender and Rural Digital Divides**: Discussion of persistent gaps where less than 35% of rural Indian women own mobile phones, and approximately 300 million Indians still use 2G technology, emphasizing the need for targeted programs to address these disparities.

– **International Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing**: India’s role in sharing its digital public infrastructure model globally, collaboration with ITU on cybersecurity initiatives, and the potential for developing nations to learn from India’s experiences in digital transformation.

## Overall Purpose:

The discussion aimed to showcase India’s digital transformation successes while addressing the global challenge of “connecting the unconnected” – bringing digital access, education, and cybersecurity awareness to underserved populations worldwide, particularly in developing nations.

## Overall Tone:

The discussion maintained a consistently positive and celebratory tone throughout, with speakers expressing pride in India’s achievements while acknowledging ongoing challenges. The atmosphere was formal yet collaborative, with participants showing mutual respect and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and best practices. The tone remained constructive and forward-looking, emphasizing solutions and international cooperation rather than dwelling on problems.

Speakers

**Speakers from the provided list:**

– **NK Goyal** – President, CMII Association of India

– **Seizo Onoe** – Director, Telecommunications Standardization Bureau (TSB), ITU

– **Niraj Verma** – Deputy Ambassador; Administrator, Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN)/USO Fund, Department of Communications, Government of India; in charge of Optical Fabric project

– **Anil Kumar Bhardwaj** – Deputy Director General, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India; Strategic Engagement role

– **Ninad S. Deshpande** – Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the WTO in Geneva

– **Cosmas Zavazava** – Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), ITU

– **Tim Unwin** – Emeritus Professor of Geography, Royal University of London; Moderator

– **N Ravi Shanker** – IAS Retd, Principal Advisor, DIT University; former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Government, India

– **Lt. Gen. JS Sidana** – AVSM, Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers and Senior Colonel Commandant Corps of EME India

– **M. Revathi** – Joint Wireless and Telecommunications Director, Department of Telecommunications Government of India; Spectrum manager and satellite expert

– **Ambika Khurana** – Chief Reg and Corp AFF Officer and Chief External Media Officer, India

– **Ravi Sinha** – VP Tech Dev and Solutions, Reliance Jio; Co-chairman of ORAN in India

– **Chaesub Lee** – Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy, APAC Bulkerspersky

– **Alfredo Ronchi** – Professor (specific institution not mentioned)

**Additional speakers:**

– **Josh B. Lee** – Ex-Director (institution not specified)

# WSIS Side Event Report: “Connecting the Unconnected” – Digital Inclusion Discussion

## Event Overview

This side event at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was organized by the CMII Association of India, featuring presentations from government officials, ITU directors, and technology experts on digital inclusion challenges and India’s connectivity achievements. The session included both in-person and online participants, though technical difficulties and time constraints affected several presentations.

## Opening Presentations

### India’s Digital Infrastructure Achievements

NK Goyal, President of CMII Association of India, opened the session by highlighting India’s significant digital transformation achievements. He emphasized that India has built comprehensive digital systems including the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar digital identity system, and has demonstrated capabilities in space missions, positioning India as having achieved technological sovereignty at scale.

Seizo Onoe, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunications Standardisation Bureau, provided brief opening remarks noting that there is much the global WSIS community can learn from India’s experiences with digital inclusion at speed and scale, and emphasized that security controls should be applied consistently worldwide with standards providing key support to policy objectives.

### Connectivity Infrastructure and Challenges

Niraj Verma, Administrator USO (Universal Service Obligation), provided detailed insights into India’s connectivity initiatives, particularly the BharatNet project—a major fiber optic infrastructure initiative. He noted that India has achieved some of the world’s lowest data rates at less than 10 rupees per gigabyte, making connectivity more affordable for rural populations. Verma emphasized that mobile connectivity alone is insufficient and that affordable landline broadband through fiber-to-home connections is essential for rural areas.

He reported that India has provided 4G connectivity to over 6.4 lakh (640,000) villages, with only 7-8 thousand villages remaining unconnected. However, he noted that approximately 300 million Indians remain on 2G technology and require support to migrate to 4G for enhanced digital access.

## Government Perspectives

### Department of Telecommunications

Anil Kumar Bhardwaj, Deputy Director General of the Department of Telecommunications, highlighted India’s capability to create end-to-end online ecosystems serving 1.3 billion people through comprehensive digital identity and payment systems. He emphasized the complexity of managing such systems across diverse linguistic, cultural, and economic contexts.

M. Revathi, Joint Wireless and Telecommunications Director at the Department of Telecommunications, introduced a framework for understanding connectivity challenges through three fundamental aspects: availability, accessibility, and affordability, recognizing that successful connectivity requires addressing gaps in network quality, device costs, and service pricing simultaneously.

### International Representation

Aninad Deshpande, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the WTO in Geneva, highlighted India’s growing collaboration with the ITU, including hosting the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly and proposing to host the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.

## ITU Leadership Perspectives

Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, provided global context by noting that 2.6 billion people globally remain unconnected, with persistent capacity gaps especially pronounced in least developed countries. He emphasized that the challenge extends beyond mere connectivity to encompass meaningful engagement with digital services, questioning whether connected populations are actually utilizing digital services for e-commerce, government affairs, and other meaningful activities.

Zavazava also emphasized that child online protection requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving parents, teachers, regulators, and industry, recognizing that protecting vulnerable populations online requires coordinated efforts across multiple sectors.

## Key Challenges Identified

### Gender and Rural Digital Divides

Ambika Khurana, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, highlighted a critical challenge: less than 35% of women in rural India own mobile phones, creating a significant gender-driven digital divide. This statistic illustrated persistent inequalities even within successful digital transformation programs.

Lt. Gen. JS Sidana, Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, reinforced concerns about gender gaps, noting that women are often unable to access technology in Global South countries, significantly hindering education and development opportunities. He emphasized that technology must serve as an enabler rather than a divider.

### Cybersecurity and Digital Safety

Chaesub Lee, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy at APAC, highlighted cybersecurity challenges, noting that three out of four people failed to identify AI-generated content in tests. He argued that education about cybersecurity threats must become as fundamental as road safety education for newly connected populations.

The discussion revealed particular concerns about protecting newly connected populations who may lack awareness of digital risks, including AI-enabled threats such as deepfakes and sophisticated phishing attacks.

## Education and Technology Perspectives

Lt. Gen. JS Sidana highlighted the transformative potential of education technology, noting that immersive learning through augmented reality and virtual reality demonstrates 30-40% improvement in delivery effectiveness. He emphasized that technology has democratized education by making high-quality learning resources accessible to previously underserved populations.

Alfredo Ronchi, Professor, provided insights on generational differences in information processing, noting that young generations process information in parallel rather than serial sequences, with implications for educational methodology and technology design.

## Sustainability and Future Development

Seizo Onoe emphasized that sustainability should be prioritized over advanced smart features when developing future connectivity solutions, suggesting that the global community should focus on solutions that can be widely deployed and maintained rather than pursuing cutting-edge capabilities that may not be accessible to all populations.

## Development Framework Proposals

NK Goyal proposed the creation of an 18th Sustainable Development Goal focused on “meaningful, safe digital life for citizens,” recognizing that digital access and safety have become fundamental requirements for human development.

Tim Unwin, the session moderator and Professor at Royal University of London, provided a challenging perspective by questioning whether current development frameworks are adequate for addressing contemporary digital challenges, encouraging India to take greater leadership in global digital governance discussions.

## Limitations and Incomplete Information

This report is based on a transcript that contains technical quality issues, including repeated text sections and incomplete presentations. Several speakers, including Ravi Sinha from Reliance Jio, were cut short due to time constraints, and some online participants experienced connectivity difficulties. The event format was primarily a series of individual presentations rather than an interactive discussion, which limited cross-speaker dialogue and debate.

## Key Takeaways

The session demonstrated broad recognition of India’s achievements in digital infrastructure development at unprecedented scale, while acknowledging persistent challenges in gender inclusion, rural connectivity, and cybersecurity education. Speakers consistently emphasized the need to move beyond basic connectivity to “meaningful connectivity” that includes safety, affordability, and relevant content.

The presentations highlighted the complexity of digital inclusion, requiring coordinated efforts across infrastructure development, policy frameworks, education, and social change initiatives. While celebrating progress, speakers maintained focus on significant work that remains, particularly in addressing gender divides and protecting vulnerable populations in the digital space.

The session reinforced that connecting the unconnected requires comprehensive approaches that address not only technical infrastructure but also economic accessibility, social barriers, and digital safety considerations.

NK Goyal: My heartfelt thanks to all of you here. Heartfelt thanks to our VIPs on the dais. We are waiting for ZAVAZAVA, but in the meantime, we will start. We will start by honoring our VIPs, Mr. Niraj Verma, our Deputy Ambassador here, Mr. Onoe, Director, and Mr. Josh B. Lee, who is the Ex-Director here, and Team Admin. I will start giving the slogans. I also want to welcome all the friends who have joined online. I want to say greetings from India, a country with one of the oldest civilisations on the planet, moving into the world to become the third largest economy. India’s civilization dates back to thousands of years before the Roman Empire, before most of the places in Europe. It invented the concept of zero, advanced astronomy, surgery, mathematics. India built all parallel systems quietly, incrementally, and now it is starting to push those in the global areas from UPI to Aadhaar to space missions and diplomatic. UPI is one of the very great things in India with no foreign interventions and adopted by 17 countries. Aadhaar, our system connected by 1 billion people without any bottlenecks, digital ID integrated into various services for the people, welfare, taxation, etc. ISRO, as you know, landed a rover near the moon’s south place at the friction of the cost it costs in other countries. India is starting its own digital architecture. India is now having the second largest mobile base and we have been the fastest rollout for 5G, working on 6G, AI, quantum, as a mission implementing the world’s largest fiber optic project in the world in India. Mr. Niraj is looking after that thing. India is investing billions of dollars in the chip investment. India has passed its own data localization, data privacy laws, and so on. So, thank you for being here. We will start with the opening address by our director, Mr. Ono.

Seizo Onoe: Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and my thanks to the CMAI. Association of India for inviting me to share a few words. Standards help create global access to new tech capabilities. That’s a key services to developing countries, but it’s also fundamental to security. Security controls should be applied consistently around the world. It’s an area where standards provide key support to policy objectives. Trust in digital services is essential to their widespread adoption. With innovations like Acquia Digital Identity and its broader digital public infrastructure, India has become one of the world’s best-known case studies of how we can expand digital inclusion at speed and at scale. With life-changing benefits, there is so much that the global WSIS community can learn from your experiences. Thank you.

NK Goyal: Friends, we have been joined by around 50 people online and I’m sorry we are not able to place chairs for all of you. I will now request Mr. Niraj Verma, who is in charge of the Optical Fabric project. We call it Administrator USO.

Niraj Verma: Thank you, distinguished guests, participants, including those who have connected in this online. It is my privilege to be amongst you all on a topic which is very pertinent to our country, connecting the unconnected. And let me give you perspective that in India, for example, we have 6.4 lakh villages, and we have been grappling with providing connections to those villages. And as we talked today, in last few years, we have connected all villages except a few thousand, maybe 7-8 thousand with at least 4G connectivity. And our mandate is through USO Fund, my mandate is to provide connections to all villages, all hamlets, through at least 4G connections. India also has seen fastest 5G rollout and all the district headquarters now have 5G connections, but we have to reach to the villages. And it is in this context, I would say that again a second part of connecting the unconnected is to provide connection through landline broadband connection. Because as you all know, mobile has a charge, India’s rate is one of the cheapest, it is less than 10 rupees per GB, but it is still not affordable for those in the villages. So, just providing 5G, 4G connections is not sufficient. To make it more affordable means that we have to decrease the rate. And it is where that fibre to the home broadband connections through landline will come handy. We in India are implementing a project called BharatNet, which is a 20 billion project. And through this, we will provide optical fibre network to Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS, H.E. any artisans or the agriculturists, they can sell their produce using UPI without any currency transaction. And this facilitates the transaction, it improves the digital financial inclusion. So I’m very happy that this topic is being used, this is being discussed and I’m sure that we will have a lot of other ideas from distinguished guests. We will listen to them and we’ll also learn from what is the best practices there and we’ll use that in our country also.

NK Goyal: Thank you. Thank you, sir. Friends, online and present here, I want to tell you, as an association, we are dealing with 74 countries and everywhere we go, they ask, how you achieved this thing? How are you connected or unconnected? And UPI, Aadhaar, and every country asks for cooperation. I will now request my leader, Professor Tim Unwin, Emeritus Professor of Geography, Royal University of London, to take over as moderator. We are with him for the last 15 years. Thank you,

Tim Unwin: Tim, and take over now. Namaste, Suprabhat. It’s a great pleasure to be here. I don’t know how Professor N.K. Goyal manages always to run this session with so many speakers. He hands me the difficult task, which is moderating between nine and eleven speakers in the next half hour. Please will you note, gentlemen and ladies, that I have red cards and I haven’t even time to use my yellow cards, but for the participants, we have four-minute presentations, three-minute presentations, and two-minute presentations. If you see me showing a red card and somebody doesn’t actually stop, please sort of make it visible. Anyway, it’s a… Sorry, huge privilege to be here. I first worked in India 50 years ago and it’s a country that I love very dearly. All protocols observed, if I went through everybody who’s so important here, we’d never get to the end. So without more ado, I would like to invite Anil Bhardwaj, Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, to speak for five minutes. Four minutes. Thank you.

Anil Kumar Bhardwaj: I’ll make sure I limit myself to three minutes. Mr. Seizo Onoe, Director TSB, Mr. Niraj Verma, Administrator DBN as Digital Bharat Nidhi, as we call it. I see a very senior officer who headed this initiative and Ravi Shankar online and Professor Tim and all other dignitaries. Thank you very much. While already Administrator DBN has outlined the huge work in terms of laying of infrastructure to connect the unconnected, we are doing. I, as in my role of Strategic Engagement of Department of Telecom, would want to take this opportunity to share with some of the friends from Global South who are sitting here. We are not only laying infrastructure, we are laying the foundation of networks for tomorrow. When we talk digital Aadhaar, digital identity for 1.3 billion, we have proven to the world that we can have an end-to-end online ecosystem. Over that digital identity, today our unified payment interface is functioning for payments as small as one cent without any overhead. Every day, billions of transactions are happening. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr Thank you very much. But I am just saying, we are available to engage with you, we are available to help you out, and we are available to create a new connected digital world which is a real meaningful connectivity. Thank you very much.

Ninad S. Deshpande: Thank you, Ash. That’s a round of applause for India’s achievements. Without more ado, I would like to pass the floor to Ms. Aninad Deshpande, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the WTO in Geneva. Your four minutes starts now. Thank you, Moderator. Mr. Seizo Onoe, Director of Telecommunications Standardization Bureau. Mr. Niraj Verma, who is Administrator for Digital Bharat Nidhi in Department of Communication, Government of India. Mr. Anil Bharadwaj, Professor N.K. Goyal, Dignitaries from Government, Academia and Industry, who have joined today in this room and online. A very good morning to all of you. I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Goyal for his efforts to organize this event, connecting the unconnected in the field of education excellence, cyber security and rural solutions, and women empowerment in ICT. And thank Mr. Onoe for his kind words of appreciation on India’s programs in these fields. As an active member of ITU since 1869, and consistent member of ITU Council since 1952, India’s collaboration with ITU continues to grow both in magnitude and meaningful contribution. In the last two years itself, the relationship has become even more profound. ITU was a knowledge partner to India during India’s G20 Presidency. ITU area office was opened in New Delhi. World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly, WTSA, was held in India last year. Going further, India has proposed to host the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030. Looking at today’s topic in terms of ICT connectivity, we are aware of the ongoing Giga Connectivity Forum in Geneva, a joint venture of ITU and UNESCO, which focuses on ICT school connectivity. India has senior-level participation in this forum, which shows our deep commitment. In India, our national education policy is laying a robust digital foundation in its schools, ready to scale and create universal digital learning access. The policy focuses on digital equity blended learning models, digital literacy as core skill, and supports TAME AI encoding. India has created digital tools, which offers curriculum-linked e-content, free online courses, including real-time school data tracking system. India’s Meri Panchayat or My Village Council app won the WSIS Champion Prize this week, which is a testimony to our commitment to ICT connectivity to rural governance. On the theme of digital public infrastructure, ladies and gentlemen, Permanent Mission of India in Geneva is in coordination with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of Government of India, and ITU and ISPIRIT has the first United Nations Conference on Digital Public Infrastructure, CitizenStack, in January this year in Pali. This event brought together a diverse range of stakeholders, global leaders, technology innovators, and policy experts to explore the global implementation of digital public infrastructure. This event underscored India’s active role in promoting digital public infrastructure as a global public good. The initiative and its progress in terms of ICT connectivity is a topic which has endless success stories in India, some of which were also quoted by Mr Bharadwaj just some time back. With these few words, ladies and gentlemen, I take this opportunity to thank Professor Goyal once again for organizing this side event. Also, to showcase India’s story to the world. My sincere appreciation to the ITU team for taking

NK Goyal: the time out of their busy schedule to join this event. Thank you very much. Friends, we have been joined by Mr Jayawaja, our director, so I would like to honor him. And having put on his shawl, I would like to invite my dear friend Cosmas ZAVAZAVA, who is Director of BDT in the ITU here. Thank you very much for gracing us with your presence.

Cosmas Zavazava: I know you have to leave soon. If you could share just a few words, three minutes max, or you get the red card. I’m sorry. It’s a pleasure to be here and thank you for this opportunity, Excellencies, esteemed colleagues, friends. It is a pleasure to be here with you. This year, as you well know, ITU is turning 160 years of existence. We have demonstrated resilience, having gone through the two world wars, epidemics, natural disasters, etc. And we didn’t turn into, maybe I should say, we didn’t stagnate. We engaged in evolution and innovation. Over those years, security concerns have evolved with the evolution of technology from physical interference with cables to remote cyber attacks and artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Now we bring free security challenges, but we are ready to confront. Part of our role is to meet those challenges. ITU has been at the forefront of cyber security capacity development and building. And as you well know, we received 11 Guinness Book records recently when we brought 136 countries to Dubai under one roof, discussing and engaging in a global cyber drill. And we celebrate that. Through WSIS Action Line C5 and the World Telecommunication Development Conference, which is going to be held this year in Baku from the 17th to the 28th of November, we are going to be looking closely at the issue of connectivity as well as cyber security. And the good news is that a decade of the Global Cyber Security Index shows that countries are evolving and achieving serious results, but challenges still persist. As much as we have challenges with connectivity, as we still have 2.6 billion people who remain unconnected, and we are worried about those that are connected as to what they are doing with their connectivity. Are they engaging in electronic commerce? Are they participating in government affairs, etc.? So we wanted to be able to be measuring that, and that’s why we have rolled out a universal meaningful connectivity agenda. For one thing, there is a persistent cyber capacity gap. The least developed countries and small island developing states are more than 10 years behind other developing countries, according to our findings and statistics, and we want to confront this challenge. Capacity building is fundamentally very important, and coming together with that, of course, we want to bridge the many divides, which include the urban-rural divide, the gender divide, and the digital skills divide. And we want to make sure that, fundamentally, the platforms are secure. Child online protection is very important, and of course, we developed guidelines that we are rolling out. The first part of the guidelines addresses the parents, the second part addresses the teachers, and the third addresses the regulators, and then finally, also, we address industry and private sector, because this is a multi-stakeholder platform, and we have to work together to confront the ills. And connectivity, universal meaningful connectivity…

NK Goyal: Thank you Mr. ZAVAZAVA. First I want to tell everybody on the line and physically here that we are working with Mr. ZAVAZAVA and Mr. Onoe for cyber security awareness program throughout the world. Because ZAVAZAVA has to go, I will request you and Mr. Onoe and Mr. Niraj. No problem, it’s a good sign. I’m quite excited. And I will request you to kindly come on this stage, we want to honour Mr. Bharadwaj and Mr. Niraj. So we’re having an early photo session up there. I’ll just encourage everyone to move as quickly as possible. If you can make space in the aisles so they can run down and we can then get back to the speeches. While the dignitaries are leaving and moving forward, I would like to invite Mr. Seizo Lee to give just three minutes. Did you know you were being invited to speak? You’re looking shocked. Well, you could just keep it to one minute, then, and we can catch up on time.

Seizo Onoe: Yes, thank you, Tim. It’s a great honor for me to attend this meeting again. This connectivity is quite an important subject, but I wish to highlight with your great achievement in India, think about sustainability rather than smart and advanced. Advanced smart is very important. Your report already passed 4G, 5G, you’re already engaged to 6G, but think about what is a really sustainable environment for you, for all of you. Think about the communities. So, I just want to bring up this subject. Sustainability is more important than any others for the future. So, this is my small piece. Thank you.

Tim Unwin: Thank you very much, Jason. And now we move to our first online speaker, and hopefully the technology will work. But I would like to invite the first remote speaker is Mr. N. Ravi Shankar, IAS Retd, Principal Advisor, DIT University, but former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand Government in India. The floor is yours for three minutes. And one of the great things about remote speakers is we can actually cut you off when I say so. So, I hope you will excuse me if

N Ravi Shanker: we do that. Over to you, sir. Dignitaries, Delegates, Greetings to all. I thank you all for this recognition. I would like to put the finger on the spot and say connectivity, cost, economics, content, cyber security. These form the cornerstone of connecting the unconnected and reaching out in whatever manner one could do. There are multiple schemes, there are multiple ways, there are multiple collaborations. All of them can lead to that point. Over to you, sir. Thank you. Thank you very much. Big

NK Goyal: round of applause. Friends, Mr. Ravi Shankar was holding the position which is now held by Niraj Verma. We want to recognize you by the excellent services you have given and started. Mr. Navtej, please put on the slide for the award for him. You’re about to get

Tim Unwin: a virtual award. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. Brilliant. Thank you very much. And we now move to our next remote speaker, who is Lt. Gen. JS Sidana, AVSM, Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers and Senior Colonel Commandant Corps of EME India. Over to you, sir, for three minutes.

Lt. Gen. JS Sidana: So, first of all, thank you very much, moderator, sir, for introducing me. Hello, panelists, distinguished dignitaries, academic leaders and participants, both online and offline. It’s a matter of privilege and honor for me to be invited as a panelist here. I would like to also thank Professor Goel and the CMI Association for organizing a forum that not only celebrates the excellence, but also poses some very pertinent questions with respect to how do we take this education to the unconnected. Having served in the Indian Army for almost 40 years and led one of the most advanced technology institutions in the country, I have been fortunate to witness and in some measure contribute to the convergence of technology, education, discipline which is associated with the Army and national development. Having spent maximum time in the world where mission readiness and situational awareness dictate the technological precision determination which will determine the outcomes, I believe the same principles apply perhaps more than ever to the world of education today. I would like to say a few words on this movement from the chalkboards to the chipsets. The technology today has been primarily able to define, deliver and democratize education. So, we need to move forward in this arena and I will talk from my personal experience having led an institution where the students outperformed the expectations of the people who were educating them. Just because they were given a little bit of trust, some purpose and the tools. The tools are there for the entire world to see whether it is artificial intelligence, the quantum technologies, blockchain and a variety of improvements that have taken place in the fields of data analytics. I have also introduced our concept of immersive learning through AR and VR and the results were there for all of us to see. We saw a 30 to 40 percent improvement in the entire delivery mechanism just because we were able to provide the students with an immersive environment and that is why one of the speakers before me has talked about the connection and the cyber part which is very, very important. However, to take it further, the Indian Army itself has taken on this huge challenge and today we have a system called Abhyaas, a sort of It can be, if I can loosely translate it, it means experiential learning, where every part of structured or unstructured data can be combined and can evolve through a generative AI into something that can be imbibed by the students. So, we are progressing on this noble initiative. But I would still like to say, I said it in India on one of the forums, that if we have to really get the unconnected to be getting connected, we have to have the technology with compassion. The technology can’t be a divider, it has to be an enabler. And more so, when we are talking about the topic is connecting the unconnected in the field of education excellence, cyber security and rural solutions and women empowerment. And I see only very few women participating in this. We have to get them on board because in most of the global south, somebody was mentioning, the women are the ones which are not able to get hold of this technology and therefore the education and therefore the development. I thank all of you for having initiated this topic. But I would like to hear from other speakers and probably

Tim Unwin: imbibe certain lessons myself. Thank you. Thank you very much indeed. Sir, thank you very much. And I want to inform you that almost half are the women here. And sir, we would like to recognize him for the excellent way they have used IT in defence sector. And you all know the success. So, here’s an award for you, sir. Thank you very much. Thank you. And so, it is with great pleasure that I invite our first lady speaker. We do have two women who are speaking. I was going to make a similar point to the point the general has just made. So, without more ado, I’d like to invite Ms. M. Ravati, who’s joint wireless and telecommunications director at the National Institute of Science and Technology. And I’d like to invite her to come up to the podium. In England, WP stands for Woman Police Officer, but we won’t go into that. Department of Telecommunications Government of India. Thank you for joining us. And three minutes, please. Thank you.

M. Revathi: Thank you, Professor Lim, for a nice introduction. I’m not a police officer. I’m a spectrum manager and I’m a satellite expert. I do spectrum licensing and spectrum management, including satellite orbits in India from the Department of Telecommunications. Jokes apart, coming to the topic, connecting the unconnected. We have seen we are in the 160 years of ITU. Still we are talking of the basic connecting the unconnected. Still there are gaps. We heard from the Cosmos ZAVAZAVA that so many people are still unconnected. For getting connected, what is the fundamental thing? It’s the telecommunication network, the fundamental infrastructure. It’s a critical infrastructure. And there are primary resources to have that infrastructure to work. The wireline, the wireless and the satellite. Everyone should have equitable access to that. Then only that gap you can reduce it. So I just I have three minutes only. I make it very crisp, that three points. The connection, the telecommunication, there should be availability, accessibility, then affordability. It is available. What is available? Some people have 2G connectivity. Some people have 3G connectivity. Why? You need 4G, you need 5G. Why you should be deprived of that? Then accessibility, where the point comes? There is still a little biases to have access within the family. If your affordability is less, only limited people will have access to it. How to work on that to make it more, more, more economical? What India is trying to do it? Your data rate per megabit or gigabit. Then next is affordability, the last. So those services are available, what about your user device? If it is costly, even 4000 rupees, Indian rupees, it is costly for a common person living in the rural and remote areas. How to bridge that gap? The Government of India, we are working to Universal Service Obligation Fund, we call it as Digital Bharat Nidhi and some other mechanisms. Oh, I have already in the red. Thank you. I am also RRB member, I deal with the satellite issues, so I am more attached to it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Tim Unwin: Thank you for being so succinct with three A’s. Without more ado, we move to our second lady speaker, who is joining us remotely online, Ms. Ambika Khurana, who is Chief Reg and Corp AFF Officer in Chief External Media Officer, India.

Ambika Khurana: Thank you. Thank you very much. 32 minutes, I am afraid, you have already seen in the program, so apologies. Okay, thank you very much. I will just take on from what Revati ma’am just said. I think the divide in India is not as much anymore urban versus rural, because like Mr. Neeraj mentioned, there is widespread 4G coverage and connectivity in the villages, which of course needs to be supported and satellite is one of the areas that we are talking about. But I want to touch upon the gender divide that is there in the topic, men versus women, and very prominently the divide between 2G and 4G, 5G, 6G we go ahead. So less than 35% of the women in rural India, which is almost 60% of the country’s population, own a mobile phone. And if you triangulate these constraints of ownership with further constraints in affordability and skills, we are looking at a glaring chasm of gender-driven social economic divide. So this needs to be bridged, for which there can be skills programs and plans to offer more affordable devices. Secondly, approximately 300 million Indians are still on 2G and it’s critical to enable and empower them to move up the ladder for accessing data towards a truly enriched digital India. And when we talk about India as an example, that would stand for many developing nations at large. So specific device ownership plans, migration of the poor from 2G to 4G for support through devices, government-industry-academia collaborations for skills, many of them are led by Mr. Anil Bhadwaj and other senior leaders from the government sitting here with whom we feel immensely humbled to partner with, will definitely help in accelerating this divide. I rest my points here, but as industry, we are fully committed to the cause and look forward to more deliberations during this forum. Thank you very much.

Tim Unwin: Thank you very much indeed. Thank you for keeping to time. I was fearing having to ask you to be quiet, being a white male elderly, because the points you make about gender divide and differences are absolutely essential and something in all of our countries we should emphasize and take forward. So thank you. We now move to another remote speaker. Please, Dr. Ravi Sinha, who’s VP Tech Dev and Solutions Reliance in Jio and co-chairman of ORAN in India. And two minutes from you, please, sir.

Ravi Sinha: Oh, fantastic. Hi, everyone. Greetings from U.S. I represent ORAN Alliance Next Generation Research Group for SIXI Initiative. We started three years back and we are globally collaborating with every country and every company available, 350 plus kind of members over here. Today, I’ll be talking mainly on to the AI flavor for 6G. At present, like the world is moving very fast. And I think based on our understanding, 2030 is the deployment timelines. And, of course, like probably one or two years prior to that, you’ll have kind of pre-standards already getting trialed worldwide. And the major, I think, capabilities you’ll be seeing related to the deployment, energy efficiency, native security, the resilience, then integrated ground, air and space networks. But I think on the top of it, the neural network is going to be the main mantra. Overall, how exactly you will be joining? I think for 60 cloud native auto drive network, connected sustainable world, massive scalable next generation network, compute fabric, highly programmable physical world, massively scalable next generation automotive framework, massively connected intelligent machines, the internet of multi-dimensional senses, and then enormously digitized and native trustworthy systems. These are some of the kind of areas where you can see open source or an alliance along with 3GPP can do a lot of disruptions and make the technology available for everybody. Now, based on all the development I’m seeing, AI agents and then MCP gateway, these are the very two major enablers for the infrastructure. And this infrastructure will be very different than the infrastructure you are deploying at present worldwide. The major difference is… I just say thank you very much. I’m sorry,

Tim Unwin: the time is up. We’re very tight. Please accept my apologies. Fascinating. Really important work the GEO is doing. Thank you. And we now move to our final remote address that is by Mr. Chaesub Lee, who is head of Government Affairs and Public Policy, APAC Bulkerspersky. Over to you, sir. And if you could please keep it to two minutes, I would be very grateful.

Chaesub Lee: Thank you. Thank you very much, Professor. Very good day to distinguished participants from all over the world. I’ll just make a short intervention on the importance of cybersecurity, even as we endeavor to connect the unconnected. The world today is at an inflection point. A new generation, especially from the underprivileged segment of society, is getting digital devices for the first time, just as AI tools are becoming widely available. And this comes with both risks and opportunities. It is dangerous because AI tools have been abused for criminal activity through deep fakes, voice mimicking and generating phishing emails. But there are also huge opportunities. We have the chance to make the newly connected generation a generation of AI savvy digital natives who are aware of the risks of AI and know how to protect themselves, and to be just as good, if not even better, than those who are already connected. Let me just cite one sobering piece of development from my home country in Singapore. Last week, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore published the results of its Public Awareness Survey. One question asked if respondents were confident of distinguishing between deep fake and legitimate videos. And almost 80% said they were confident, citing telltale signs such as suspicious content, unsynchronized lip movements. But when actually put to a test in the next question, guess how many people actually got it right? 3 out of 4 people actually got it wrong. And we are talking about a highly connected society. So it is all the more important to ensure that complacency doesn’t set in for the newly connected. How do we achieve this? Education is key. Threats such as phishing, scams and caution in clicking links and paying bills need to become part of general knowledge, just like road safety. Good practices like having antivirus on digital devices and using two-factor authorization must become generally understood norms. As we turn the corner, it is a chance for the newly connected to rapidly catch up and learn from the mistakes of those who are already connected. And I’m confident that this can be done. With the help of so many attendees today who are concerned about the cause of connecting the unconnected, I’m sure that we will be able to exchange ideas on how do we do this further. On this note, I would like to thank Professor N.K. Goyal, President of the CMII, Association of India, for the invitation.

Tim Unwin: Thank you very much. And thank you for keeping short and succinct. I’m going to be a little bit naughty now. I’ve never understood why the event happening the other side of this building is called AI for good. I mean, you’ve emphasized that there’s AI for bad as well. You know, if it’s not called AI for bad, maybe at least we can compromise and call AI for question mark. So thank you for raising these very important issues. And finally, thank you to all speakers so far who’ve kept remarkably to time. We have my dear friend Professor Alfredo Ronci to say a few words, a maximum two minutes.

Alfredo Ronchi: So we need to provide proper education. And just jumping to another key word I heard, which is STEM. We know that, we all know that mathematics, for instance, math is usually considered a kind of nightmare for young generations. So in 10 kids, eight of them consider this a nightmare. And professor or teachers, since 20, 40, 50 years, are repeating the same experience, the same experiment, let’s say, in spite to the typical law in physics, that if you are repeating the same experience many times and you are waiting for a different outcome. So the outcome is always that eight of them, or even more, are hating this subject, and we lose quite a lot of, let’s say, brain juice from these people. And this is really something bad. We, since a long time, very well known that young generation have a different mindset. We’re used to process things in parallel. This is due to what someone calls brain or neuroplasticity. So, they modified their own way to elaborate information, no more in a serial sequence, but in parallel. They will probably develop longer times because they are chatting all over the day, and they have a completely different approach to content, to knowledge, even if, unfortunately, this knowledge is on the surface. Down, there’s really far less. Thank you, Tim, and thank you, all of you.

Tim Unwin: Thank you, Alfredo. That brings our proceedings to an end, but there isn’t another session in here afterwards. So, if anyone has a brief, if anyone has a brief comment… I will just order the certificates. Okay. I will like to… I keep getting different messages. Okay, I do feel free to leave if you have to, because I know there are other things happening at 12. Connecting the unconnected is a very interesting theme and it needs to go beyond WSIS and ITU.

NK Goyal: I think what we need is, and particularly in the context of when we talk about AI and cyber security, we need another, maybe proposing an 18th SDG, like a meaningful, safe digital life for the citizens on the planet. A meaningful, safe digital life for the citizens on the planet. I’m sure that AI for Governance Dialogue, they will, we will make a note of it and make sure it goes as India’s submission. Okay. Thank you.

Tim Unwin: That is very good. I would just like to add, I mean, yes, that was a failure. Some of us many years ago tried to get it in there, but we have to recognize, again, be provocative. The SDGs have failed already. We’re not going to deliver them. Digital is not going to deliver the SDGs by 2030. The time is now when we should be talking about what follows the SDGs. And I think getting that right is important. One final brief point. Okay. Thank you all for being so patient. Yes, go, go. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS Mr. Anil Kumar Lahoti, H.E. Mr. N Ravi Shanker, IAS Prof. Goyal for always bringing it as a presence of India in this place of WSIS. I’ve always felt that, with due respect to everybody here present, the Indian government would do much more in sharing its successes in the international community. You have much to offer, you have achieved much, but having been involved in many Commonwealth, particularly initiatives, but also here in the UN, I would love to see you taking the rightful role that you have. You have the largest population in the world, you have achieved great things, and we need to learn much more from your practices. So this is really just to thank Prof. Goyal, but also encourage you to share your voice more loudly, share your physical presence more strongly, and draw on the rich cultural heritage of your country to move us all forward in the digital age. So thank you for your great presentations, thank you for being a wonderful audience. Go forth and multiply. Thank you very much. Thanks, Arun. Thank you everyone online for joining. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Agreement points

India’s Digital Infrastructure as Global Model

Speakers

– NK Goyal
– Anil Kumar Bhardwaj
– Seizo Onoe
– Niraj Verma
– Ninad S. Deshpande

Arguments

India has built parallel digital systems including UPI, Aadhaar, and space missions, demonstrating technological sovereignty

India has proven capability to create end-to-end online ecosystems for 1.3 billion people with digital identity and payment systems

India’s digital public infrastructure serves as a global case study for expanding digital inclusion at speed and scale

India has successfully connected villages with 4G connectivity and is implementing the world’s largest fiber optic project

India’s collaboration with ITU continues to grow, including hosting WTSA and proposing to host Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030

Summary

Multiple speakers consistently praised India’s digital infrastructure achievements, particularly UPI, Aadhaar, and connectivity projects, positioning India as a global leader and model for other countries to follow

Topics

Infrastructure | Development

Cybersecurity Education and Awareness

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– Cosmas Zavazava
– Chaesub Lee

Arguments

Security controls should be applied consistently worldwide, with standards providing key support to policy objectives

Child online protection requires multi-stakeholder approach with guidelines for parents, teachers, regulators, and industry

Education about cybersecurity threats must become general knowledge like road safety for newly connected populations

Summary

Speakers agreed that cybersecurity requires comprehensive education, standardized approaches, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to protect users, especially vulnerable populations like children

Topics

Cybersecurity | Human rights

Gender Digital Divide as Critical Issue

Speakers

– Lt. Gen. JS Sidana
– Ambika Khurana

Arguments

Women are often unable to access technology in Global South countries, hindering education and development opportunities

Less than 35% of women in rural India own mobile phones, creating a gender-driven socioeconomic divide

Summary

Both speakers identified the significant gender gap in technology access as a major barrier to inclusive development, particularly in rural and developing regions

Topics

Gender rights online | Development

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers emphasized that true connectivity requires addressing multiple barriers including affordability, infrastructure quality, and device accessibility, with particular focus on upgrading rural populations from basic to advanced connectivity

Speakers

– M. Revathi
– Ambika Khurana
– Niraj Verma

Arguments

Connectivity requires availability, accessibility, and affordability – addressing gaps in network quality and device costs

Approximately 300 million Indians are still on 2G and need support to migrate to 4G for truly enriched digital access

Mobile connectivity alone is insufficient; affordable landline broadband through fiber-to-home connections is essential for rural areas

Topics

Infrastructure | Development | Economic

Both speakers recognized that modern technology and changing cognitive patterns of young people require new approaches to education, moving away from traditional methods to more interactive and adaptive learning systems

Speakers

– Lt. Gen. JS Sidana
– Alfredo Ronchi

Arguments

Technology has democratized education, with immersive learning through AR/VR showing 30-40% improvement in delivery

Young generations have different mindsets, processing information in parallel rather than serial sequences

Topics

Online education | Sociocultural

Both speakers acknowledged the massive scale of the global connectivity challenge and the need for comprehensive approaches that address multiple fundamental barriers simultaneously

Speakers

– Cosmas Zavazava
– N Ravi Shanker

Arguments

2.6 billion people remain unconnected globally, with persistent capacity gaps especially in least developed countries

Connectivity fundamentals include cost, economics, content, and cybersecurity as cornerstones for reaching the unconnected

Topics

Development | Infrastructure | Cybersecurity

Unexpected consensus

Sustainability Over Advanced Technology

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– Lt. Gen. JS Sidana

Arguments

Sustainability should be prioritized over advanced smart features when developing future connectivity solutions

Technology must be an enabler rather than a divider, requiring compassion in implementation

Explanation

Unexpectedly, both a technology director and a military technology leader emphasized the importance of sustainable, compassionate technology implementation over pursuing the latest advanced features, suggesting a shift in priorities from pure technological advancement to human-centered development

Topics

Infrastructure | Development | Human rights

Need for New Development Framework

Speakers

– NK Goyal
– Tim Unwin

Arguments

A new SDG focused on ‘meaningful, safe digital life for citizens’ should be considered for future development goals

The current SDGs have limitations and may not be achievable by 2030, requiring discussion of what follows

Explanation

Both speakers, from different perspectives, agreed that current international development frameworks are insufficient and need fundamental revision, with digital rights and safety becoming central to future development goals

Topics

Development | Human rights | Legal and regulatory

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion showed strong consensus around India’s digital leadership, the critical importance of addressing gender and rural digital divides, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity education, and the requirement for sustainable, inclusive technology implementation

Consensus level

High level of consensus with speakers consistently supporting each other’s viewpoints rather than presenting conflicting arguments. The agreement spans technical, social, and policy dimensions, suggesting broad alignment on both challenges and solutions. This consensus strengthens the case for India’s digital model as globally applicable and highlights shared understanding of barriers to digital inclusion.

Different viewpoints

Technology advancement priorities – advanced features vs sustainability

Speakers

– Seizo Onoe
– Ravi Sinha

Arguments

Sustainability should be prioritized over advanced smart features when developing future connectivity solutions

6G will feature AI-native capabilities, energy efficiency, native security, and integrated ground-air-space networks by 2030

Summary

Onoe emphasizes that sustainability should take priority over pursuing advanced smart technologies, while Sinha focuses on the advanced AI-native capabilities and sophisticated features of upcoming 6G networks

Topics

Infrastructure | Development

SDG effectiveness and future development frameworks

Speakers

– NK Goyal
– Tim Unwin

Arguments

A new SDG focused on ‘meaningful, safe digital life for citizens’ should be considered for future development goals

The current SDGs have limitations and may not be achievable by 2030, requiring discussion of what follows

Summary

Goyal proposes adding an 18th SDG to the current framework, while Unwin argues that the entire SDG framework has failed and needs to be replaced with something new

Topics

Development | Human rights | Legal and regulatory

Unexpected differences

Educational methodology and generational differences

Speakers

– Lt. Gen. JS Sidana
– Alfredo Ronchi

Arguments

Technology has democratized education, with immersive learning through AR/VR showing 30-40% improvement in delivery

Young generations have different mindsets, processing information in parallel rather than serial sequences

Explanation

While both speakers discuss educational technology, Sidana focuses on proven technological solutions with measurable improvements, while Ronchi emphasizes the need to fundamentally change teaching methods to match how young people’s brains have evolved. This represents a subtle but significant disagreement about whether technology should enhance existing education or whether education itself needs to be reimagined

Topics

Online education | Sociocultural

Overall assessment

Summary

The discussion showed remarkable consensus on major goals (connecting the unconnected, digital inclusion, cybersecurity) with disagreements primarily on implementation approaches and priorities. Key areas of disagreement included technology advancement priorities, development framework effectiveness, and educational methodologies

Disagreement level

Low to moderate disagreement level. Most disagreements were constructive and focused on different approaches to shared goals rather than fundamental opposition. The implications are positive as they suggest multiple viable pathways to achieving digital inclusion, though coordination may be needed to avoid fragmented efforts

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

All three speakers emphasized that true connectivity requires addressing multiple barriers including affordability, infrastructure quality, and device accessibility, with particular focus on upgrading rural populations from basic to advanced connectivity

Speakers

– M. Revathi
– Ambika Khurana
– Niraj Verma

Arguments

Connectivity requires availability, accessibility, and affordability – addressing gaps in network quality and device costs

Approximately 300 million Indians are still on 2G and need support to migrate to 4G for truly enriched digital access

Mobile connectivity alone is insufficient; affordable landline broadband through fiber-to-home connections is essential for rural areas

Topics

Infrastructure | Development | Economic

Both speakers recognized that modern technology and changing cognitive patterns of young people require new approaches to education, moving away from traditional methods to more interactive and adaptive learning systems

Speakers

– Lt. Gen. JS Sidana
– Alfredo Ronchi

Arguments

Technology has democratized education, with immersive learning through AR/VR showing 30-40% improvement in delivery

Young generations have different mindsets, processing information in parallel rather than serial sequences

Topics

Online education | Sociocultural

Both speakers acknowledged the massive scale of the global connectivity challenge and the need for comprehensive approaches that address multiple fundamental barriers simultaneously

Speakers

– Cosmas Zavazava
– N Ravi Shanker

Arguments

2.6 billion people remain unconnected globally, with persistent capacity gaps especially in least developed countries

Connectivity fundamentals include cost, economics, content, and cybersecurity as cornerstones for reaching the unconnected

Topics

Development | Infrastructure | Cybersecurity

Key takeaways

India has successfully demonstrated digital infrastructure at scale, connecting 1.3 billion people through systems like Aadhaar and UPI, serving as a global model for digital inclusion

Connecting the unconnected requires addressing three fundamental pillars: availability, accessibility, and affordability of telecommunications infrastructure

A significant gender digital divide exists, with less than 35% of women in rural India owning mobile phones, requiring targeted interventions

Cybersecurity education must become as fundamental as road safety education, especially for newly connected populations vulnerable to AI-enabled threats like deepfakes

Approximately 300 million Indians still use 2G technology and 2.6 billion people globally remain unconnected, highlighting the scale of remaining challenges

Future 6G networks will be AI-native with integrated ground-air-space capabilities, but sustainability should be prioritized over advanced features

Education technology shows significant promise, with immersive learning through AR/VR demonstrating 30-40% improvement in delivery effectiveness

Multi-stakeholder collaboration between government, industry, and academia is essential for bridging digital divides and ensuring inclusive connectivity

Resolutions and action items

India proposed to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030, demonstrating continued commitment to global telecommunications leadership

Continuation of the BharatNet project – a $20 billion fiber optic infrastructure initiative to connect villages across India

Implementation of programs to migrate 300 million Indians from 2G to 4G connectivity through government-industry partnerships

Development of cybersecurity awareness programs globally in collaboration with ITU directors ZAVAZAVA and Onoe

Proposal for India to submit the concept of an 18th SDG focused on ‘meaningful, safe digital life for citizens on the planet’ through AI for Governance Dialogue

Unresolved issues

How to effectively address the persistent 10+ year technology gap between least developed countries and other developing nations

Specific mechanisms for making devices more affordable for rural populations where even 4000 rupees ($48) is considered costly

Strategies for overcoming cultural and social barriers that limit women’s access to mobile technology in rural areas

Methods for ensuring newly connected populations don’t fall victim to AI-enabled cybersecurity threats like deepfakes and phishing

How to modernize mathematics and STEM education to align with young people’s parallel information processing capabilities

Determining what framework should replace the SDGs post-2030, given acknowledgment that current SDGs may not be achievable

Suggested compromises

Balancing advanced technology development (5G/6G) with sustainability considerations rather than pursuing smart features at any cost

Combining mobile connectivity with landline broadband infrastructure to provide both coverage and affordability

Implementing multi-stakeholder approaches to cybersecurity that involve parents, teachers, regulators, and industry rather than single-entity solutions

Focusing on ‘technology with compassion’ that serves as an enabler rather than a divider between connected and unconnected populations

Renaming ‘AI for Good’ initiatives to acknowledge both positive and negative potential of AI technology

Standards help create global access to new tech capabilities. That’s a key services to developing countries, but it’s also fundamental to security. Security controls should be applied consistently around the world.

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Reason

This comment was insightful because it connected two seemingly separate issues – digital inclusion and cybersecurity – establishing that they must be addressed together rather than as isolated challenges. It reframed the discussion from simply connecting people to ensuring those connections are secure and standardized globally.

Impact

This set the tone for the entire discussion by establishing that connectivity without security is incomplete. It influenced subsequent speakers to address both aspects, with later speakers like Cosmas ZAVAZAVA and Chaesub Lee extensively discussing cybersecurity challenges alongside connectivity initiatives.

Just providing 5G, 4G connections is not sufficient. To make it more affordable means that we have to decrease the rate. And it is where that fibre to the home broadband connections through landline will come handy.

Speaker

Niraj Verma

Reason

This comment challenged the assumption that advanced mobile technology alone solves connectivity issues. It introduced the critical economic dimension – that true inclusion requires not just technical capability but economic accessibility, and that sometimes older technologies (landline broadband) can be more inclusive than newer ones.

Impact

This shifted the discussion from celebrating technological advancement to examining practical implementation challenges. It led to subsequent speakers like M. Revathi elaborating on the ‘three A’s’ (availability, accessibility, affordability) and Ambika Khurana discussing the 2G to 4G migration challenge.

We are not only laying infrastructure, we are laying the foundation of networks for tomorrow… we are available to create a new connected digital world which is a real meaningful connectivity.

Speaker

Anil Kumar Bhardwaj

Reason

This comment was thought-provoking because it distinguished between mere connectivity and ‘meaningful connectivity’ – introducing the concept that connection quality and purpose matter as much as connection existence. It elevated the discussion from technical metrics to human impact.

Impact

This concept of ‘meaningful connectivity’ became a recurring theme, with Cosmas ZAVAZAVA later referencing the ‘universal meaningful connectivity agenda’ and other speakers discussing how to ensure connections translate into real socioeconomic benefits.

The divide in India is not as much anymore urban versus rural… But I want to touch upon the gender divide that is there… less than 35% of the women in rural India… own a mobile phone.

Speaker

Ambika Khurana

Reason

This comment was particularly insightful because it challenged the dominant narrative about digital divides. While most speakers focused on geographic or economic divides, she highlighted that gender represents a more persistent and complex barrier, requiring different solutions.

Impact

This comment brought gender equity to the forefront of the discussion, prompting Lt. Gen. JS Sidana to emphasize ‘technology with compassion’ and the need to ensure women are included. It also led Tim Unwin to acknowledge the importance of these gender considerations in his moderation.

We have the chance to make the newly connected generation a generation of AI savvy digital natives who are aware of the risks of AI… But when actually put to a test… 3 out of 4 people actually got it wrong. And we are talking about a highly connected society.

Speaker

Chaesub Lee

Reason

This comment was deeply thought-provoking because it revealed the paradox of digital literacy – that even highly connected populations can be vulnerable to digital threats. It challenged the assumption that connectivity automatically leads to digital competence and safety.

Impact

This comment reframed the entire connectivity discussion by highlighting that connection without proper digital literacy and security awareness can be dangerous. It influenced the closing remarks where speakers emphasized the need for education and the proposal for a new SDG focused on ‘meaningful, safe digital life.’

The SDGs have failed already. We’re not going to deliver them. Digital is not going to deliver the SDGs by 2030. The time is now when we should be talking about what follows the SDGs.

Speaker

Tim Unwin

Reason

This was perhaps the most provocative comment of the session, directly challenging the fundamental framework that guides most international development work. It forced participants to think beyond current paradigms and consider more realistic or alternative approaches to global development goals.

Impact

This comment created a moment of stark realism that contrasted with the generally optimistic tone about India’s digital achievements. It supported NK Goyal’s proposal for an 18th SDG on ‘meaningful, safe digital life’ and pushed the discussion toward more innovative thinking about global digital governance frameworks.

Overall assessment

These key comments fundamentally shaped the discussion by progressively deepening and complicating the initial theme of ‘connecting the unconnected.’ The conversation evolved from celebrating technical achievements to examining practical implementation challenges, then to questioning whether connectivity alone is sufficient, and finally to challenging the entire framework of how we measure and pursue digital development goals. The most impactful comments were those that introduced paradoxes or challenged assumptions – such as the idea that advanced technology might not be the most inclusive solution, that highly connected societies can still be digitally vulnerable, or that current global development frameworks may be fundamentally flawed. These interventions prevented the discussion from becoming a simple showcase of achievements and instead created a more nuanced dialogue about the complexities of digital inclusion, the intersection of technology with social equity, and the need for new approaches to global digital governance.

How can the global community learn from India’s experiences with digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

Onoe mentioned that there is much the global WSIS community can learn from India’s experiences with digital inclusion at speed and scale, but specific mechanisms for knowledge transfer were not discussed

How can countries achieve meaningful connectivity beyond just providing infrastructure?

Speaker

Cosmas Zavazava

Explanation

Zavazava raised concerns about whether connected people are actually engaging in e-commerce and government affairs, highlighting the need to measure and ensure meaningful use of connectivity

What are the best practices for bridging the persistent cyber capacity gap in least developed countries and small island developing states?

Speaker

Cosmas Zavazava

Explanation

Zavazava noted that these countries are more than 10 years behind other developing countries in cyber security capacity, requiring targeted solutions

How can sustainability be prioritized over advanced technology in connectivity solutions?

Speaker

Seizo Onoe

Explanation

Onoe emphasized thinking about sustainability rather than just smart and advanced technology, suggesting this is more important for future community development

What specific strategies can effectively bridge the gender divide in digital access, particularly for rural women?

Speaker

Ambika Khurana

Explanation

Khurana highlighted that less than 35% of women in rural India own mobile phones, indicating need for targeted interventions to address gender-driven digital divides

How can 300 million Indians still on 2G be effectively migrated to 4G/5G networks?

Speaker

Ambika Khurana

Explanation

This represents a significant population still using outdated technology, requiring specific migration strategies and support mechanisms

How can newly connected populations be educated about AI risks and cybersecurity from the beginning?

Speaker

Chaesub Lee

Explanation

Lee emphasized the opportunity to make newly connected generations AI-savvy and cyber-aware, but specific educational approaches need development

What educational methods can effectively teach mathematics and STEM subjects to young generations who process information differently?

Speaker

Alfredo Ronchi

Explanation

Ronchi noted that traditional teaching methods fail for 8 out of 10 students in mathematics, requiring new approaches that align with how young people process information in parallel

Should there be an 18th SDG focused on ‘meaningful, safe digital life for citizens’?

Speaker

NK Goyal

Explanation

Goyal proposed this as a potential new Sustainable Development Goal, recognizing the importance of digital safety and meaningful access beyond basic connectivity

What should follow the SDGs post-2030, particularly regarding digital development goals?

Speaker

Tim Unwin

Explanation

Unwin argued that SDGs have already failed and won’t be delivered by 2030, necessitating discussion about successor frameworks that properly address digital transformation