Report on the progress made by least developed countries towards universal + affordable Internet with recommendations to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 9C https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/LDCs/Pages/ICTs-for-SDGs-in-LDCs-Report.aspx

1. Pre-WTDC-17 Ministerial Roundtable on
ICT④SDGs in LDCs, LLDCs & SIDS
8 October, 2017
Vanessa GRAY
Head of LDCs, SIDS &
Emergency Telecommunications Division
BDT/ITU
ICTs, LDCs and the SDGs
Achieving universal and affordable Internet
in the least developed countries

2. SDG 9C “Significantly increase
access to information and
communications technology and
strive to provide universal and
affordable access to the Internet
in LDCs by 2020”
LDCs & LLDCs SIDS
• LDCs: 47 countries highly vulnerable to
economic and environmental shocks
• Includes 17 LLDCs and 9 SIDS
• LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS face related
development challenges but are very
different in terms of geography, population
and level of economic development.
Access/
Infrastructure
AffordabilityInternet
Source: ITU

3. Highlights
• ICTs, in particular basic services and applications over 2G networks,
have had a significant impact on development but promise from
broadband is even greater
• LDCs are on track to achieve SDG 9C in terms of access & affordability
• Internet use expected to remain low and skills remain a key barrier
• It is possible to leapfrog: sharing experiences from LDCs
• 3 dimensional framework - access, affordability & skills – to identify
strengths and weaknesses and guide policies

4. Access/Infrastructure
Miles of networks:
1st: International
2nd: National backbone
3rd: User access
Plus “Invisible mile”

5. Explosive growth in access to submarine
cables & national backbone infrastructure
International
• Except for 6 (out of 30) ALL sea-facing LDCs have
landing stations
• Almost all LLDCs have fiber optic cable cross-
border terrestrial links but prices generally higher
due to transit
• Unconnected SIDS are planning access to
submarine cables
• Leverage regional economic communities for policy
on cost-based & open access to submarine cables
National
Better backbone infrastructure through:
• Access to spectrum/digital dividend
• Regulation on rights of way and open access to
networks
• Infrastructure sharing
• Universal Service Funds
27
50
0
20
40
60
80
100
POP 10-km
Range
POP25-km
Range
POP50-Km
Range
POP100-Km
Range
Population (%) in range of backbone network,
LDC average, 2016
Source: ITU

6. Mobile population coverage in LDCs
• Narrowband (2G) Internet
coverage high with remaining gaps
almost all in rural areas
• 61% of population covered by 3G
mobile broadband network
• 26 LDCs have launched 4G
61
20
65
70
76 77
84
88 89
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
-
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total LDC population
3G
2G
4G
Population, (‘000 ) Coverage (%)
Source: ITU

7. Building core Internet infrastructure
All 3
30%
2
24%
1
23%
None
23%
% of LDCs that have 3 fundamental
Internet infrastructure components,
2017
22
30
23
0
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
40
44
48
Root name
server
ccTLD name
server
IXP
Number of LDCs with:
Source: ITU

8. Affordability

9. Understanding affordability
• Despite price drops, international
comparison (ITU price basket) shows that
broadband remains unaffordable to many
• …but by 2020 will be affordable in many
LDCs
• Handset biggest barrier to entry
• Flexible tariffs help with affordability and
operators have adapted to low-income users
• Governments can help bring down prices by
driving competition and limiting taxes
• Backbone constraints for LLDCs and some
SIDS
0 10 20 30 40 50
Hourly
Nightly
Daily
>1 day & < 1
week
Weekly
>1 week & <1
month
Monthly
Number of LDCs with different mobile
broadband Internet bundles
Source: ITU

10. Skills

11. Skills emerging as leading barrier
54
15
14
7
2
Skills
Affordability (equipment)
Affordability service charge
Access
Other
Zambia, Barriers to Internet use, 2015• Lack of digital literacy emerging as a leading
barrier to Internet use in many LDCs
• Digital skills closely linked to educational
attainment
• Secondary school enrolment in LDCs (43%)
lies well below world average (76%)
• Strategic ICT sector plans need to highlight
the role of, and make link to educational
policies
• Gender digital divide must be addressed to
ensure universality aspect of SDG 9C
Source: ITU

12. 8
16
23
-
20
40
60
80
100
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
25 40
51
61
69
78
88
97
0
20
40
60
80
100
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
3G coverage (% of population)
39 39 39 40 41 41 42 42
0
20
40
60
80
100
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Skills
Gross secondary school enrollment
(% of age group)
30.3
16.6
14.6
12.0
9.7
7.4
5.0
2.7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Affordability
Mobile broadband price (% GNI)
Internet use (% of population)
Target 9C in 2020
Access
Source: ITU

13. It is possible to leapfrog
Sao Tome & Principe
Bhutan
0
20
40
60
80
100
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Skills
Bangladesh
Myanmar
0
20
40
60
80
100
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Access
Mobile broadband price per month
(500 MB, % GNI pc)
Tanzania
Vanuatu
0
5
10
15
20
2016201520142013
Percentage of the population covered by 3G
network
Gross secondary school enrolment
Affordability
Source: ITU

14. 3 dimensional framework to guide policy makers:
access, affordability & skills
Nepal
Rwanda
Sudan
Bhutan
Access Affordability Skills
Main challenge:
Access/Skills
Main challenge:
Skills
Source: ITU

15. Recommendations
Drive competition and intensity of competition
Coverage obligations, open access regulation & universal service funds
Build core infrastructure
Rationalize taxation
Focus on digital literacy and skills
Achieve gender parity
Foster institutional strengthening
Produce better data

16. Send your comments to
bdtlse@itu.int by Oct. 31, 2017