internet access

Private sector partnership key to funding digital access for all

Private sector partnership key to funding digital access for all

To connect the next two billion people to the internet, funding is crucial – and not the small type. To accomplish these kinds of enterprise projects, the UN requires a massive financial war chest.

"Access is a fundamental right" - Digital activist Vilas Dhar

Crisis Recovery

"Access is a fundamental right" - Digital activist Vilas Dhar

Over 2 billion people still lack basic connectivity access, thus creating a massive digital divide. Activist Vilas Dhar breaks down the three elements that contribute to this divide.

The digitalization divide: opportunities and challenges in emerging markets

The digitalization divide: opportunities and challenges in emerging markets

Nearly three-fourths of all new value created by the end of this decade will be rooted in digitalization and digitally enabled business models. This underscores the seismic shift toward a digital-first world. While the prospects of this digital revolution are promising, Alexis Serfaty, director of geotechnology at Eurasia Group, highlighted a stark reality: Over 2.5 billion people still lack access to the Internet, effectively excluding them from the digital economy.

2 billion new internet users joined in 5 years but growth is uneven

2 billion new internet users joined in 5 years but growth is uneven

A whopping two billion new internet users have come online in the past five years. This transformative shift, driven in part by the pandemic, has revolutionized the way people learn and work. But it’s important to note that this growth is not evenly distributed, and significant efforts are required, particularly in Africa, to bridge the digital divide, says Digital Impact Alliance CEO Priya Vora.

Want Africa to grow? Get people and businesses online: Africa expert

Want Africa to grow? Get people and businesses online: Africa expert

There's a big opportunity for African countries to take advantage of the pandemic — if they can get online. "Greater internet connectivity can accelerate growth in tremendous ways," says Eurasia Group's top Africa analyst Amaka Anku. One of them would be formalizing the informal sector, which is very large and hard to tax: "It's much easier if people are paying using digital payments," she explains, but governments also need to do their part by cutting red tape to encourage investment.

How can we bridge the "digital Grand Canyon"?

How can we bridge the "digital Grand Canyon"?

The UN likes to say that having half the world's population offline is like a "digital Grand Canyon" of exclusion. So, how can we bridge it? The International Communications Union's Doreen Bogdan-Martin says that the only way is to get all concerned parties — the UN, governments, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society — to work together. "No one can do this alone. We need all hands on deck."

We'll never fix America's internet without measuring access properly, says FCC chair

We'll never fix America's internet without measuring access properly, says FCC chair

Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chair of the US Federal Communications Commission, says mapping the real state of America's broadband access is flawed because a single subscriber in a rural area doesn't mean everyone is online. "You don't have to be a data maven to understand that that likely overstates service," she notes, and underscores the need to develop more accurate systems. "We're never going to manage the problems we don't measure."

Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate

Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate

Providing more than three billion people with affordable, reliable internet access sounds like a no-brainer, but the devil is in the details. Who'll pay for it and how do we measure success? Several experts weighed in during a Global Stage virtual conversation hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with Microsoft during the 76th UN General Assembly.