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Measuring Digital Development: The ICT Development Index

Geneva: ITU (2025), iv, 36 pp.

"I am pleased to present the 2025 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI). This is the third edition based on the revised methodology adopted by Member States in 2023. The current IDI is anchored in the concept of universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC), a term coined by ITU in 2021 that has ... more

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Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Peru with Long-Distance WiFi

ICTworks, May 13 (2025)

"In the Santiago River Basin of Peru’s Amazonas region, an ambitious initiative is underway to bridge the digital divide and bring reliable internet connectivity to rural communities. The “Connectivity for the Santiago River Basin” project, led by a multi-stakeholder alliance, aims to foster s ... more

Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA): Ghana

Reyn Anderson, Yaroslav Eferin, Kate Gromova, Vlad Manoil, Victor Teppeh

USAID, Digital Frontiers Project, external version (2024), 149 pp.

"Ghana is among Sub-Saharan Africa’s leaders in digital transformation. Over the past decade, the government has put the key institutions, legislative frameworks, strategies, and policies in place that are necessary to drive change. The Ministry of Communications and Digitalization leads and coord ... inates development and implementation of a core set of policies and strategies that are digitally transforming the government, economy, and society. The ICT for Accelerated Development (ICT4AD) Policy has guided this journey for more than a decade. A new Digital Economy Policy is drafted and under review to drive the next stage of Ghana’s digital development. The National Financial Inclusion and Development Strategy and the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy have also been key. Ghana adopted an inclusive approach to developing its cybersecurity strategy, which contributed to improved cybersecurity capacity and considered citizens’ online safety and freedoms. However, a clear strategy for protecting critical national infrastructure is missing. Ghana has been a pioneer and champion of digital government transformation in West Africa over the past decade, with funding and support from the World Bank. Important whole-of-government platforms and services have been put in place, including the Government Wide Area Network (GWAN), which provides internet connection to more than 1,000 district assemblies, hospitals, police stations, and post offices across the country; a National Data Center; the Smart workplace suite, which includes email and productivity tools for government employees; and Ghana.gov portal, a one-stop-shop for citizen services. Still, digital government transformation is incomplete. Easy, efficient, online government services are in demand, but the Ghana.gov portal options are limited, and most major government service providers have their own separate online services portals. The national identity Ghana Card could enhance digital service delivery by providing a universally recognized, secure, and easy-to-use means of digital identification and authentication for citizens when accessing both public and private digital services, but the current identification system is not integrated with other government-operated databases, significantly reducing its many potential applications. The Regional Coordinating Councils, and metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) are just now embarking on the digital transformation journey. The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development coordinates their efforts. Challenges for Ghana’s remaining efforts at digital government transformation include adequate funding to manage and maintain its connectivity and data center infrastructure, affordable internet for regional governments, inadequate digital literacy and skills among mid-level and regional staff, or related national training programs. A big skill gap exists in cybersecurity; Ghana faces a deficit of skilled cybersecurity professionals. The government also needs to improve efforts at stakeholder engagement and awareness-raising when developing new policy proposals." (Executive summary, pages 11-12) more

Conectividad en Amazonía: Recomendaciones para combatir la brecha digital

Paloma Lara-Castro (coord.)

Derechos Digitales (2024), 17 pp.

Internet Universality: Advancing Inclusive Digital Transformation with ROAM-X Indicators
Key Guidance

Paris: UNESCO (2024), 126 pp.

Connected Resilience: Gendered Experiences of Meaningful Connectivity through a Global Pandemic

Ingrid Brudvig, Sonia Jorge, Margaret Nyambura Ndung’u

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (2024), 57 pp.

"Looking at patterns between those with meaningful connectivity — defined as having daily internet use with 4G-like speeds, owning a smartphone, and an unlimited access point at home, work, or a place of study — and those with just basic or no internet access at all, we saw key distinctions betw ... een women based on geography and education in our study sample which impacted their experiences of the internet. Across our six survey countries [Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda], women with a tertiary education were nearly twice as likely to be meaningfully connected compared to their peers with less education. Women living in rural areas were three times more likely to lack internet access than their urban-dwelling peers, while women living in cities were over 50% more likely to have meaningful connectivity. Meaningful connectivity enabled women around the world to learn, earn, access government and financial services, and connect with family and communities, thereby also saving essential time and money in transport costs. Women’s educational level and having meaningful connectivity are the strongest predictors of finding information online or participating in the digital economy. Women int erviewed in underserved localities — such as remote villaes in India and impoverished urban settlements in Nigeria — reported restricted digital access due to: lack of infrastructure (such as mobile towers); high cost of devices and data services; income-generating activities and unpaid care work leave little to no time available to access connectivity or digital skills educational initiatives; dependency on men in their family to use devices [...] We propose four tiers of achievable solutions — and call attention to policymakers, investors, and the ICT sector at large to fast-track meaningful connectivity and inclusive digital development for all: 1. Deep investments that use substantial resourcing to make profound changes in a specific policy area or for a specific community. Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs) represent a key mechanism across the majority world for deep investment strategies. When well executed, they provide clear interventions with measurable changes in the lives of affected communities. 2. Grand visions that combine years of effort with substantial funding resources to revolutionize the status quo. National broadband plans and other key strategy documents — when appropriately supported and resourced through implementation stages — represent a core example of grand visions within this space. 3. Easy wins that are comparatively discreet and specific changes that can still create tangible value at their scale. Gender data — collecting it, creating it, analyzing it, and using it — is a critical component to several easy wins that have been implemented in recent years. Policymakers can start from this level of research and measurement to make clear steps in the right direction. 4. Scalable systems that represent large, programmatic change in the pre-existing ways of working. Multistakeholder approaches and gender targets can provide the foundation for long-term, ongoing processes that scale progress towards closing the gender digital divide. By using policy and regulation to create mechanisms and procedures that consider digital inclusion, policymakers can build habits and routines that gradually and consistently change the course of history." (Executive summary, pages 2-4) more

Impact Assessment: Rural Household Devices Project Program of the Uganda Communications Universal Service Access Fund (UCUSAF)

Evelyn Namara, Ingrid Brudvig

Alexandria, VA; Kampala: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership; Uganda Communications Commission (2024), 46 pp.

"The impact assessment underscores the commendable achievements of the Rural Household Devices project. By December 2023, the initiative had successfully reached 54 districts and impacted 10,706 households. The outcomes are multifaceted and transformative, with a substantial number of beneficiaries ... more

The price of the world in your pocket: A price only some can afford. 2024 Device Pricing

Sonia Jorge, Onica Makwakwa

Alexandria, VA: Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (2024), 9 pp.

"The median price for a smartphone globally is US$92.59. The lowest regional median price is in Africa, at $60.23, while the highest is $101.88 in the Americas. The median global affordability (defined as price as a percentage of average monthly income) for a smartphone is 11%. Europe has the greate ... st regional affordability, at 4.5%, while Africa has the least, at 41%. The median smartphone price among low-income countries is $36.62, rising in line between price and income groups, with the median smartphone price among high-income countries at $121.49. Feature phones offer a lower price point. The global median price for an internet-capable feature phone is $25, at 5.53% affordability. This data is not a measure of all prices in all contexts. For example, we know that second-hand markets are thriving and typically offer lower prices than buying new devices. We also know that many retailers not affiliated with a mobile network will sell unlocked devices that are able to function on multiple networks. However, given the widespread and consistent nature of operators selling phones through their website, this data assumes that the prices set by operators are not without context: they will be responsive to the competitive pressures of other retailers in the markets in which they operate. While these prices are not definitive on what the cost of a smartphone is in each country, they are certainly indicative of the range of prices that customers have in several parts of the world. [...] Across the three years of data collection, the median device price did not vary more than $15 between each period. At the same time, device affordability grew, with the highest median price – $92.59 in 2024 – corresponding to the greatest affordability at 10.99%. This is because average incomes rose globally across these four years, meaning that while the price of the device might be similar as before, it represents, on average, a smaller fraction of how much someone has to spend from their income to afford it. This trend, if it remains, will indicate continued progress towards greater affordability for all. However, the slow pace of progress means that devices will remain unaffordable for millions without responsive action from policymakers and industry." (Pages 3-5) more

Telecommunication networks and infrastructure resilience assessment in Haiti

Gregory Domond

Geneva: ITU (2024), xii, 96 pp.

[.] the report examines three pivotal areas of assessment. First, there was an evaluation of the damage to Haiti’s networks and infrastructure after the 2021 earthquake, along with the restoration of telecommunication services. Second, the assessment focused on Haiti’s country-level resilience, ... more

Transformative Connectivity: Trends in Satellite Innovation

Geneva: ITU (2024), 8 pp.

"Satellite technology represents a transformative solution to global connectivity challenges, particularly in developing countries and in rural and remote regions. By expanding connectivity in these historically underserved areas, satellite networks are bridging the digital divide and driving sustai ... more

Challenges and opportunities for using universal service funds to bridge the digital divide

Geneva: ITU (2024), 10 pp.

"This document presents the joint interim (annual) deliverable for Question 4/1, “Economic aspects of national telecommunications/ICTs”, and Question 5/1, “Telecommunications/ICTs for rural and remote areas”. It concerns the challenges and opportunities associated with using universal servic ... more

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The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024

Matthew Shanahan, Kalvin Bahia

London: GSMA (2024), 91 pp.

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Hold the Phone! A Cross-National Analysis of Women's Education, Mobile Phones, and HIV Infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, 1990–2018

Aarushi Bhandari, Rebekah Burroway

Social Science & Medicine, issue 334 (2023), pp. 116217 ff.

"Despite remarkable progress in the fight against HIV, the number of new infections remains unacceptably high, epidemics continue to grow in certain communities, and therefore AIDS continues to be one of the deadliest pandemics of our times. This study analyzes the rate of new HIV infections over al ... more

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Colombia: Tecnología, esfera pública y periodismo

Gabriel Ernesto Levy Bravo, María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo, María Paula Ángel Benavides

London: Media and Journalism Research Center (MJRC); Observacom; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) (2023), 21 pp.

"Si bien las cifras de acceso y uso de las TIC han mejorado progresivamente, están lejos de ser óptimas. Lo mismo pasa con las relacionadas con la conectividad. De cualquier forma, lo más preocupante en ambos casos es la diferencia que existe entre las cabeceras municipales y los centros poblados ... y las zonas rurales. La brecha es grande y parece estar lejos de cerrarse, a pesar de los esfuerzos que el Gobierno y otros actores han hecho en este sentido. Las barreras geográficas, sociales y económicas siguen siendo difíciles de atajar, por lo que hay pendientes en distintos frentes. La lucha contra la desigualdad y el desarrollo de la infraestructura son sólo algunos de ellos. En 2021 el porcentaje de hogares a nivel nacional que poseía algún tipo de televisor era de 89.5 %. En cuanto a la infraestructura para recibir servicios de televisión, las cifras variaron dependiendo de la zona. Por ejemplo, la televisión por cable fue la más usada en las cabeceras municipales, mientras que la televisión abierta fue la más usada en los centros poblados y zonas rurales. Para ese mismo periodo, el porcentaje de hogares que poseía computador de escritorio, portátil o tableta fue de 37.9 % y el porcentaje de personas que tenía teléfono celular de cualquier tipo era de 76.3 %. En cuanto a la conectividad, el 60.5 % del total nacional de hogares poseía conexión fija a Internet, con mayor proporción en las cabeceras. Sin embargo, esta relación se invirtió en las áreas rurales, donde la conexión móvil, a la que un 75 % de la población total tenía acceso, fue más popular. En cuanto a operadores de Internet fijo, el mercado lo domina Claro, seguido de Tigo y Movistar. Con respecto a operadores de Internet móvil, el mercado también lo domina Claro y le siguen Movistar y Tigo. Ahora bien, dentro del total de personas que utilizaron Internet, el dispositivo através del cual se reportó mayor acceso a este servicio es el teléfono celular con 93.9 %. De los usuarios de Internet entre 16 a 64 años que usan plataformas de redes sociales, el 94 % del universo analizado por el estudio We Are Social utilizó WhatsApp, seguido muy de cerca por Facebook con un 91.7 % e Instagram con un 84.4 %, todas pertenecientes al conglomerado Meta. En cuanto al alcance de la audiencia potencial de los medios sociales digitales conectados, Facebook llevó la delantera, seguido de YouTube e Instagram. Sobre lo relacionado con motores de búsqueda, sin importar la tecnología de hardware que se emplee, Google se ubicó en el primer lugar con una concentración del 97,19 % del total de usuarios que realizó búsquedas en Internet. Como se ve, hay compañías con gran dominio en el mercado y, aunque existe la sensación de variedad, lo cierto es que no es así. Por otro lado, aunque el país está más conectado que antes y los ciudadanos tienen más opciones que antes para consumir información, los medios no la tienen fácil. Aparte de las tensiones por la pauta publicitaria, que se han visto exacerbadas por el rol de conglomerados como Meta y Google, tienen más competencia y, en muchos sentidos, más obstáculos que antes. Sortear estos retos adecuadamente es clave y está estrechamente ligado con su capacidad de mantenerse a flote económicamente y de ganarse o recuperar la confianza del público, especialmente en momentos donde la desinformación y las noticias falsas son el pan de cada día." (Conclusiones, página 20-21) more

Latin America in a Glimpse: Amazonía. Acceso a internet en la región amazónica boliviana: Infraestructura, sostenibilidad e imaginarios desde/hacia otros mundos posibles

Olga Paredes, Wilmer Machaca, Eliana Quiroz

Derechos Digitales; Fundación Internet Bolivia (2023), 30 pp.

"Los tres aspectos que estructuran el análisis son las condiciones de la infraestructura y su sostenibilidad, los usos de internet, y los imaginarios desde/hacia otros mundos posibles, siguiendo la identificación de tres grupos de indicadores de unesco acerca de alfabetización digital y mediátic ... more

Latin America in a Glimpse: Amazônia. Acesso à internet por comunidades amazônicas no Brasil

Hemanuel Jhosé Alves Veras

Derechos Digitales; Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC) (2023), 26 pp.

Latin America in a Glimpse: Amazonía. Acesso a internet y pueblos indígenas en la Amazonía colombiana

Daniel Ospina Celis

Derechos Digitales; Dejusticia (2023), 21 pp.

Latin America in a Glimpse: Amazonía. Beneficios y efectos del uso de internet para comunidades indígenas de la provincia de Pastaza en Ecuador

Dagmar Thiel, Luis Fernando Canelos, Felix Tangualinga, Jairo Nenquihui Irumenga, Jonathan Sharupi

Fundamedios; Derechos Digitales (2023), 26 pp.

Latin America in a Glimpse: Amazonía. Acceso a internet en la región amazónica: Tendencias en los casos de estudio desde Brasil, Bolivia, Colombia y Ecuador

Paloma Lara Castro, Michel Roberto de Souza

Derechos Digitales (2023), 20 pp.

Handbook on mainstreaming gender in digital policies

Geneva: ITU (2023), viii, 67 pp.

"The Handbook is a first-of-its-kind guide that gives insights into how we can best support policy-making processes that advocate gender equality. It illustrates the concrete actions that policy-makers can take and offers an actionable checklist that supports the process of gender-equal policy-makin ... more