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Half the world will be online by 2017
UN Broadband Commission releases new country-by-country data on state of
broadband access worldwide
New York, 21 September, 2014– Over 50% of the global
population will have Internet access within three years’ time, with mobile
broadband over smartphones and tablets now the fastest growing technology in
human history, according to the 2014 edition of the
State of Broadband report.
Released today in New York at the 10th meeting of the
Broadband Commission for Digital Development
the report reveals that more than 40% of the world’s people are already
online, with the number of Internet users rising from 2.3 billion in 2013 to 2.9
billion by the end of this year.
Over 2.3 billion people will access mobile broadband by end 2014,
climbing steeply to a predicted 7.6 billion within the next five years.
There are now over three times as many mobile broadband connections as there
are conventional fixed broadband subscriptions. The popularity of
broadband-enabled social media applications continues to soar, with 1.9
billion people now active on social networks.
Produced annually by the Broadband Commission, The State of Broadband
is a unique global snapshot of broadband network access and affordability,
with country-by country data measuring broadband access against
key advocacy targets
set by the
54 members of the Broadband Commission.
The Republic of Korea continues to have the world’s highest
household broadband penetration at over 98%, up from 97% last
year. Monaco now surpasses last year’s champion, Switzerland, as the
world leader in
fixed broadband penetration, at over 44% of the population. There
are now four economies (Monaco, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands) where
penetration exceeds 40%, up from just one (Switzerland) in 2013.
The US ranks 19th globally in terms of number of people online, ahead of
other OECD countries like Germany (20th) and Australia (21st), but
behind the United Kingdom (12th), Japan (15th) and Canada (16th). The US
has slid from 20th to 24th place for fixed broadband subscriptions per
capita, just behind Japan but ahead of Macao (China) and Estonia.
In total, there are now 77 countries where over 50% of the population
is online, up from 70 in 2013. The top ten countries for Internet use
are all located in Europe, with Iceland ranked first in the world with 96.5%
of people online. The lowest levels of Internet access are mostly found in
sub-Saharan Africa, with Internet available to less than 2% of the
population in Ethiopia (1.9%), Niger (1.7%), Sierra Leone (1.7%), Guinea
(1.6%), Somalia (1.5%), Burundi (1.3%), Eritrea (0.9%) and South Sudan (no
data available). The list of the ten least-connected nations also includes
Myanmar (1.2%) and Timor Leste (1.1%).
“As we look towards the post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals, it
is imperative that we not forget those who are being left behind,” said
ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, who serves as co-Vice Chair
of the Commission with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “Broadband
uptake is accelerating, but it is unacceptable that 90% of people in the
world’s
48 Least Developed Countries
remain totally unconnected. With broadband Internet now universally
recognized as a vital tool for social and economic development, we need
to make connectivity a key development priority, particularly in the
world’s poorest nations. Connectivity is not a luxury for the rich –
rather, it is the most powerful tool mankind has ever had at its
disposal to bridge development gaps in areas like health, education,
environmental management and gender empowerment.”
“Despite the phenomenal growth of the Internet, despite its many
benefits, there are still too many people who remain unconnected in the
world’s developing countries,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
“Providing Internet connectivity to everyone, everywhere, will take
determined policy leadership and investment. As we focus on infrastructure
and access, we must also promote the rights skills and diversity of content,
to allow women and men to participate in building and participating in
knowledge societies. As the new State of Broadband report shows, ICTs
are making a significant contribution to social development, economic
development and environmental protection, the three pillars that will
underpin the post-2015 international development agenda and move us towards
a more sustainable world.“
A separate report of the
Commission’s Working Group on Financing and Investment, led by the
Inter-American Development Bank, was also released at today’s meeting,
alongside a
report from the Commission’s Task Force on Sustainable Development,
led by Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg.
Other highlights of today’s meeting included a special session on new
business models for the Internet age featuring Yael McGuire (Director of
Engineering, Facebook), discussions on new regulatory models led by FCC
Chairman Tom Wheeler and African Development Bank Vice President Alex
Rugamba, and contributions from other special guests including Eric Loeb,
Vice President, International External Affairs, AT&T and World Economic
Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.
The Commission’s advocacy around the importance of broadband has seen
the number of countries with a National Broadband Plan in place grow from
102 in 2010, when the Commission began its work, to 140 today, according to
the new report.
The State of Broadband 2014 is the third edition of the
Commission’s annual report. Released annually in September in New York, it
is the only report that features country-by-country rankings based on access
and affordability for over 160 economies worldwide.
A cover photo of the report can be downloaded
here
Photos of the full meeting of the Commission can be downloaded from the
ITU’s Flickr channel at:
http://bit.ly/1s84FRc
Video can be viewed on ITU's YouTube Channel at:
http://bit.ly/1mhwwfl
A video highlighting the work of the Broadband Commission for Digital
Development since its launch in 2010 can be viewed at:http://youtu.be/hMmS5rQUX7E
A full copy of the report can be downloaded at:
http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/reports/bb-annualreport2014.pdf
For more information on the Broadband Commission, visit:
www.broadbandcommission.org
Follow the Broadband Commission on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/broadbandcommission
Follow the Broadband Commission on Twitter:
www.itu.int/twitter
For more information, please contact:
In New York:
Paul Conneally
Head, Communications & Partnership Promotion
E-mail:
paul.conneally@itu.int
Tel: +41 22 730 5601
Mobile: +41 79 592 5668
Gary Fowlie
Head, ITU Liaison Office
E-mail:
gary.fowlie@itu.int
Tel : +1 917 367 2992
Mobile: +1 917 679 5254
In Geneva:
Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
Tel : +41 22 730 6135
Mobile: +41 79 599 1439
E-mail:
sarah.parkes@itu.int
In Paris:
Sue Williams
Chief, Media Relations, UNESCO<
Email:
s.williams@unesco.org
Tel: +33 1 4568 1706
About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and
communication technology. For nearly 150 years, ITU has coordinated the
shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international
cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve
communication infrastructure in the developing world, and established
the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast
range of communications systems. From broadband networks to
new-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime
navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology and converging
fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is
committed to connecting the world.
www.itu.int
About UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
works to harness the power of knowledge and information, particularly
through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), to transform
economies, create inclusive knowledge societies, and empower local
communities by increasing access to and preservation and sharing of
information and knowledge in all of UNESCO’s domains. For UNESCO, such
knowledge societies must be built on four pillars: freedom of
expression; universal access to information and knowledge; respect for
cultural and linguistic diversity; and quality education for all.
See more at:
www.unesco.org