Closing the broadband gap in Asia-Pacific

Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have been instrumental in shaping and leading socioeconomic transformations across Asia and the Pacific. One key to this transformation is the technology bundled around the "Internet of Things", which enables billions of devices to connect over the internet for more accurate, real time data collection and analysis on an unparalleled scale. Through internet-connected sensors attached to infrastructure, early-on maintenance alarms can be raised for problems, such as defects or wear and tear, thereby potentially saving the lives of people using them.

Despite the spotlight on the capabilities of technologies such as the IoT, the Asia-Pacific region suffers from a lack of ICT connectivity, and the digital divide continues to be one of the largest in the world. The Sustainable Development Goals acknowledge ICT as a development enabler and the foundational infrastructure for achieving sustainable development. In this context, enhancing access to affordable, reliable and robust broadband connectivity must be seen as a prerequisite for accelerated and inclusive development in the Asia-Pacific region.

A fundamental challenge related to ICT advancements is how to best connect those who are still unconnected, so that they too can reap the benefits. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific underscored the need to address this challenge in a recent report titled the "State of ICT in Asia and the Pacific 2016: Uncovering the Widening Broadband Divide". The report highlights the alarming disparity in broadband connectivity in the Asia-Pacific, with high-income countries experiencing a higher growth rate of broadband penetration relative to other countries.