Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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UN Broadband Commission releases latest
country-by-country data on state of broadband access worldwide
Broadband goes wireless – but poorer countries being left behind
New York, 21 September, 2013 – Mobile broadband is the
fastest growing technology in human history, according to the 2013 edition of
the
State of Broadband Report.
Released in New York at the 8th meeting of the
Broadband Commission for
Digital Development, the report reveals that mobile broadband
subscriptions, which allow users to access the web via smartphones, tablets and
WiFi-connected laptops, are growing at a rate of 30% per year. By the end of
2013 there will be more than three times as many mobile broadband connections as
there are conventional fixed broadband subscriptions.
The State of Broadband is a unique global snapshot of broadband network
access and affordability, with country-by country data measuring broadband
access against the
four key targets set by the 60 members of the Broadband
Commission in 2011.
The Republic of Korea continues to have the world’s highest household
broadband penetration at over 97%. Switzerland leads the world in fixed
broadband subscriptions per capita, at over 40%. By comparison, the US ranks
24th in terms of household broadband penetration, and 20th in the world for
fixed broadband subscriptions per capita, just behind Finland and ahead of
Japan.
In terms of Internet use, there are now more than 70 countries where over 50%
of the population is online. The top ten countries for Internet use are all
located in Europe, with the exception of New Zealand (8th) and Qatar (10th).
“The new analysis in this year’s report shows progress in broadband
availability, but we must not lose sight of 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. “While more and more
people are coming online, over 90% of people in the world’s 49 Least Developed
Countries remain totally unconnected. Internet – and particularly broadband
Internet – has become a key tool for social and economic development, and needs
to be prioritized, even in the world’s poorest nations. Technology combined with
relevant content and services can help us bridge urgent development gaps in
areas like health, education, environmental management and gender empowerment.”
“The global roll-out of broadband carries vast potential to enhance learning
opportunities, to facilitate the exchange of information, and to increase access
to content that is linguistically and culturally diverse,” said UNESCO’s Irina
Bokova. “It can widen access to learning, enhance its quality and empower men
and women, girls and boys, with new skills and opportunities. But this does not
happen by itself – it requires leadership, planning and action.”
For the first time, the
State of Broadband report also tracks a new target
mandating ‘gender equality in broadband access by the year 2020’, which was set
by the Commission at its March meeting in Mexico City. ITU figures confirm that,
worldwide, women are less likely to have access to technology than their male
counterparts. While the gap is relatively small in the developed world, it
widens enormously as average income levels fall.
Addressing a packed room this morning, Commission Co-Chair Carlos Slim Helú
said: “The Millennium Development Goals should be a strong partnership to direct
actions at the national and international levels, and they should be a shared
responsibility. It is certain that broadband can make a tremendous contribution
towards their attainment.”
Co-Chair President Paul Kagame told the Commission that “beyond 2015, the way
forward should be to unleash the smart use of broadband to enhance delivery of
services in education, health care, banking and other sectors. Broadband should
also empower young people in the developing world to innovate and be more
competitive globally," he said.
A separate
report of the Commission’s Working Group on Gender, led by UNDP
Administrator Helen Clark, was also released at today’s meeting.
The full meeting of some 50 Commission members and a host of special guests,
including Nigeria’s Minister for Communication Technology, Omobola Johnson;
Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka; Academy Award winning
actor and advocate, Geena Davis; and UN Envoy for Youth, Ahmad Alhindawi, saw
the establishment of a new Working Group on Financing, which will strive to
identify potential solutions to broadband investment to help countries
accelerate progress towards the targets. The Working Group will deliver its
first findings to the Commission at the next meeting in Dublin, in March 2014.
Other highlights of today’s meeting included the presentation by Dr Touré of
the
Youth Declaration developed by over 500 young people at the ITU Youth Summit
held in Costa Rica (9-11 September) hosted by President Laura Chinchilla, and
the launch of a new report by the Task Force on the post-2015 development agenda
and future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which was led by Ericsson CEO
Hans Vestberg, and which advocates the importance of including ICTs as a central
pillar of the global development agenda. The report resulted in a new Manifesto
on Sustainable Development which was signed by Commission members.
The State of Broadband 2013 is the second edition of the
Commission’s annual report. Released every year 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.
Photos of the full meeting of the Commission can be viewed and downloaded
from Flickr at: http://bit.ly/18WPPij
Photos from the meeting of the Working Group on Gender can be viewed and
downloaded at: http://bit.ly/1gyFUCo
Broadcast-quality footage can be previewed and downloaded from ITU’s Virtual
Video Newsroom at:
www.itu.int/en/newsroom/Pages/videos.aspx
Video can be viewed on ITU's YouTube Channel at:
http://bit.ly/Z37E8A
A full copy of the report can be downloaded at:
www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/bb-annualreport2013.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: |
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Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Gary Fowlie
Head, ITU Liaison Office, NY
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In Geneva: |
In Paris: |
Paul Conneally
Head,
Communications & Partnership Promotion
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Sue Williams
Chief Media Relations, UNESCO
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About ITU...
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
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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