The global deployment of broadband networks will be as powerful a transformational force for the 21st century as the progressive installation of electricity networks was in the first decades of the 20th century.
This is according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) secretary-general, Hamadoun Tour'e, speaking at a Broadband Commission for Digital Development meeting in Geneva, last week. The meeting was held to set about defining a vision for accelerating the deployment of broadband networks worldwide.
Tour'e says that just as connection to the power grid is now seen as a basic element of social and economic empowerment, so ubiquitous connectivity to broadband networks will be vital to the ongoing development of every nation worldwide.
The commission says it aims to go further, towards the construction of inclusive knowledge societies in which people can transform information into knowledge and understanding. This will empower them to improve their livelihoods and contribute to their social and economic development, it says. “Universal access to broadband-enabled applications will be vital for achieving this goal.”
According to the UN, the commission met with the aim of improving the delivery of services across a huge range of social and business sectors, and accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The commission says the outcomes of the meeting will be delivered to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on 19 September, at an official side event of the UN MDG Summit in New York, which starts on 20 September.
“These outcomes will be presented in the form of two reports, the first of which will reflect expert input from the commissioners,” it says. The second will comprise in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities in deploying broadband across a range of different types of economies, the commission adds.
The first report will also include a series of top-level recommendations designed to serve as a global blueprint for rapid broadband development worldwide.
“The second report will take into account local needs, financing constraints and technical hurdles, and make practical proposals on possible routes towards deployment of ubiquitous high-speed networks at affordable prices in every country worldwide,” it says.
The commission is co-chaired by president Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Carlos Slim Hel'u, honorary lifetime chairman of Grupo Carso, with Tour'e and UNESCO director-general, Irina Bokova, serving as joint vice-chairmen.
Share
