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GENEVA / WAM
To connect the as yet unconnected around the world to the internet is only a first step towards ensuring that all societies participate in an increasingly digital world economy. Best-connected users benefit from internet capacity that is 200 times greater than that of the worst-connected in parts of Africa and Asia. Those left behind will not benefit from many of the productivity innovations brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, according to a new report.
Closing that gap is not a matter of technology. The technical solutions are available and time-tested. What’s needed to help countries improve their internet infrastru- cture are new sources of financing and various types of financing models. By 2040, closing connectivity gap will require $1 trillion investment.
The report on Financing a Forward-Looking Internet for All, produced in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group, provides countries and companies with a framework to think through emerging internet inclusion issues. It details six infrastructure- finan- cing tools and strategies that countries can implement to increase internet adoption and avoid a widening of the internet capacity gap.
An analysis of the economics of internet infrastructure in 28 countries shows investment payback from six to 24 months.