UN Broadband Commission launches connectivity targets for 2025 at Davos

The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development launched the document 2025 Targets: connecting the other half at the World Economic Forum, in Davos. With this document, the Commission updated its roadmap with the release of targets to assist in connecting the half of the world currently operating without Internet access. The Commission’s goals are:

• All countries to have a funded national broadband plan or strategy in place, or to include broadband in their definition of universal access and services;
• entry-level broadband access should be made more affordable in developing nations at a maximum of two percent of the monthly gross income per capita;
• access to the Internet should be available to 75 percent of people worldwide, up from a projected 50 percent by the end of 2019, with 65 percent of those in developing countries and at least 35 percent of those in least developed countries connected;
• 60 percent of youth and adults should have achieved ‘at least a minimum proficiency in sustainable digital skills’;
• 40 percent of the world’s population to be using digital financial services;
• a reduction in ‘unconnectedness’ of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (SME) by 50 percent in each sector; and
• gender equality should be achieved across all targets.