Download the full report from: http://www.broadbandcommission.org/publications/Pages/SOB-2016.aspx
Issued annually, the State of Broadband report is a unique global snapshot of broadband network access and affordability, with country-by-country data measuring broadband access against key advocacy targets set by the UN Broadband Commission in 2011.
1. THE STATE OF BROADBAND 2016 REPORT
Phillippa Biggs
ITU
15 September 2016
2. Agenda
1. The Shifting Digital Divide
2. High-level Trends
3. Broadband Commission targets
4. Viewpoints:
- Commissioners
- Corporate Viewpoints
- Perspectives from Government
5. Conclusions
3. 1. The Shifting Digital Divide – from basic telephony to Internet
The digital divide is shifting from basic phones to Internet, with mobile broadband a key
driver of growth in Internet access –half of all subscriptions now broadband-enabled:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Population Mobile
subscriptions
Unique Mobile
Subscribers
Mobile
broadband
Fixed
broadband
Projected Global Totals, 2016 Year End
Source: ITU.
Remaining no
unconnected
People
Internet
users
billions
6. 2. High-level Trends – 4G
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016*
Cumulative number of countries with live 4G LTE networks, 2009-
2016
* as of Q2 2016
Asia & Pacific
Other Economies
CIS countries
The Americas
Africa
Arab States
Europe countries
Source: GSMAi.
7. 2. High-level Trends – 4G (cont)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5
Years after launch
Number of countries with live 3G/4G networks
3G
4G
Source: ITU.
13. 3.3 Targets – Household Access
Source: Parks Associates, ITU.
14. 3.4 Targets – Individual Access Continues to Increase
31.8
43.4
24.1
35.3
5.3
9.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Per100inhabitants
World
Developing
LDC
60% of the
population
should be online
Source: ITU.
15. 3.5 Targets – Gender Gap is Growing (1)
Source: ITU.
16. 3.5 Targets – Gender Gap is Growing (2)
Source:
GSMAi
17. 4. Viewpoints from Commissioners (1)
The report contains a number of Viewpoints:
• Hans Vestberg on ICTs for achieving SDGs
• Sunil Mittal on mobile broadband in India
• Rajeev Suri on the digital gender divide
• Mats Granryd on the evolution of mobile
• Dr. Speranza Ndege on household Internet in Africa
• Rupert Pearce, José Toscano, Christian Roisse on satellite
• Cathy Novelli on the Global Connect Initiative
• Leong Keng Thai on policy for IoT
18. 4. Viewpoints (2)
As well as Corporate Viewpoints from:
Eutelsat, Facebook, GSMA, Huawei,
Inmarsat, KT, Microsoft, Nokia, VimpelCom,
Zain Group.
And perspectives from Government & IGOs: IADB, ITU,
Ministry of Telecom of the Russian Federation, CITC in
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Communications of
Spain, TRA of UAE, UNESCO, US State Dept, World Bank.
19. 5. Key Conclusions
• The digital divide is shifting from basic
telephony to Internet
• Half of all mobile phones are now broadband-enabled
• Competition among next-gen technologies is intensifying
• Roughly half the Commission’s targets were achieved by
the original end-date of 2015.
• The overall digital gender divide has grown slightly.
This presentation gives an overview of the key findings of the State of Broadband 2016 report.
This report charts a series of high-level trends in broadband around the globe, as well as offering an update on the Broadband Commission’s targets. It also features a number of insights, or “Viewpoints” by Commissioners and the member organizations of the Commission.
The digital divide is shifting from basic telephony to Internet, although mobile broadband is a key driver of growth in Internet access – with half of all subscriptions now broadband-enabled.
This chart from Ericsson shows the strong growth in total mobile subscriptions, mobile subscribers, mobile broadband, and PCs, tablets and routers for the period 2011 to 2021.
Meanwhile, analysis of countries’ specific regulatory practices shows that a growing number of countries have adopted NBPs, and adopted general or class licensing. Secondary trading of radio spectrum is still only permitted in a small number of countries.
By June 2016, 503 operators had commercially launched 4G networks across 165 ITU Member States, and forecasts that the number of 4G operators will increase by almost 50% by 2020, when 4G networks will cover over two thirds (69%) of the global population.
Indeed, 4G roll-outs are proceeding more rapidly than 3G roll-outs – four years after the first launch of 4G (in 2009), nearly 100 countries had launched 4G, compared with only around fifty countries having launched 3G four years after its launch at the end of 2001.
Meanwhile, satellites are making a strong comeback in ICT deployments. New-generation satellites are being developed which are overturning old assumptions about speed, capacity and latency for ICT applications. High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems use multiple spot beams and sophisticated ground infrastructure to provide network speed and capacity exceeding anything previously possible for satellites and rivalling – or surpassing – terrestrial technologies in many instances. Recently deployed and upcoming non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) systems in low-Earth or mid-Earth orbit provide low-latency connectivity capable of supporting a wide range of applications. In 2018, a new constellation of HTS satellites – named Quantum – will provide Internet services to mobile users and allocate the power of the satellite on the basis of the users’ needs.
Growth in the number of countries with National Broadband Plans has shown good progress over an eight-year period, but has stabilized over the past three years. Of the 189 countries for which ITU has data, the number of countries with a NBP stands at 151, with 38 without any Plan.
ICTs are now permeating many different realms of life, raising issues with respect to privacy, confidentiality and ownership of data. , by 2015, 107 countries had introduced legislation to secure the protection of data and privacy (including 66 developing or transition economies). However, in Asia and Africa, less than four out of every ten countries have introduced data protection and privacy laws. A large number of countries are in the process of introducing draft legislation, including Brazil, Egypt, Namibia and South Africa
One new trend we are seeing is IoT policies – of the 151 countries with NBPs, around ten countries now have IoT policies or roadmaps in place.
Fixed broadband services are becoming progressively more affordable. Over the past five years, fixed-broadband prices as a share of GNI per capita have dropped by some 65%. By 2015, the majority of countries had reached the Commission’s target of offering basic fixed-broadband services at <5% of monthly GNI per capita. In total, 83 developing countries had achieved the Broadband Commission’s affordability target, but only five LDCs.
Huge discrepancies in affordability persist. A monthly fixed broadband package costs 1.7% of average monthly income in developed countries, compared with 31% of average monthly income in developing countries, and 64% of average monthly income in Africa. Mobile broadband costs 1-2% of average monthly income in developed countries, compared with 11-25% of average monthly income in developing countries.
Household Internet access shows strong gains. Globally, 52% of total households will be connected by end 2016, up from 49% in 2015. Internet access for households in developed countries is close to saturation, with 84% of households connected to the Internet. The proportion of households in developing countries with access to the Internet has increased from 38% in 2015 to 41% in 2016, meeting the Commission’s target. However, this global average masks strong regional disparities. Boosting household Internet remains a particular challenge – and priority – in Africa.
By the end of 2016, 3.5 billion people – or 47% of the world’s population – will be online, up from 3.2 billion people a year earlier. At current growth rates, the Commission’s global target of 60% Internet user penetration is unlikely to be achieved until 2021 at the earliest. In the developing world, Internet penetration will reach 40% by end 2016 (up from 24% five years earlier). However, the Commission’s LDC target of 15% is expected to be achieved by the end of 2016. The digital divide in Internet access and use is critically important – both in terms of individual empowerment, education and awareness, as well as in terms of national competitiveness, and the ability to attract inward investment with an educated, digitally literate and competent workforce.
ITU estimates that the overall global Internet user gender gap has actually widened, growing from 11% in 2013, to 12% in 2016. Internet user penetration rates are higher for men than for women in all regions of the world, with the smallest gaps observed in the Americas and the CIS regions, and the largest gaps found in the Arab States and Asia-Pacific regions. The gap is also growing in LDCs, at 31%, up from just under 29% in 2013.
In the mobile sector, GSMA estimates that 200 million fewer women than men own a mobile phone. Small differences in gender equality access can amount to big differences in opportunity, accentuating and reinforcing existing gender divides in other fields – including basic awareness of citizen’s rights, education and employment.
The Report draws a number of key conclusions:
The digital divide is shifting from basic telephony to Internet.
Nearly half of all mobile phones are now broadband-enabled.
Competition among next-generation technologies is intensifying.
Roughly half the Commission’s targets were achieved by the original end-date of 2015.
The overall digital gender divide has grown slightly.