​Statement of the situation or prob​​lem

Broadband technologies are fundamentally transforming the way we live. Broadband infrastructure, applications and services offer important opportunities to boost economic growth, enhance communications, improve energy efficiency, safeguard the planet and improve people's lives. Broadband access and adoption have a significant impact on the world economy and are important to bridging the digital divide.
According to the latest ITU data, global Internet usage stands at 51 percent. In developed countries, 87 per cent of the population is online compared to 44 per cent in developing countries and 19 per cent in least developed countries (LDCs). Significantly, an estimated 3.7 billion people or nearly half of the world's population is not online. Of those, only 15 per cent remain offline due to a lack of network infrastructure, while the other 85 per cent remain offline because of an 'adoption' gap, i.e. they are covered by a mobile broadband network but are not yet using broadband services or technology.
Since the onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Internet connectivity has played a vital role in allowing individuals to continue to participate in everyday social, political and economic activities as millions of people turned to remote work, distance learning, e-commerce and Internet-enabled telehealth services. Almost 70 per cent of the workforce in some countries shifted to remote work, and 94 per cent of the world's student population was affected by school closures. Unfortunately, of those affected, at least 31 per cent of school-age children are still unable to access online educational content.
Disparities are found across countries. With respect to gender, globally, only 48 per cent of women use the Internet compared to 55 per cent of men. In developing countries women are almost 10 per cent less likely to use the Internet than men, compared to only 2 per cent less than men in developed countries. The gender gap further widens in LDCs (15 per cent women to 28 per cent men) and in LLDCs (21 per cent women to 33 per cent men). Broadband adoption directly contributes to the likelihood that a community will participate in and benefit from the digital economy.
In Indigenous communities, the digital divide plays an even larger role in widening the economic, educational, and social divides. Due to the sparse population in rural and remote areas where many indigenous people live combined with the challenges of broadband mapping and data collection, available information sources often provide incomplete data for Internet access and adoption. Methods to increase adoption in these areas will optimally focus on factors at the household and personal level to include price, availability of computers or other devices, content provided in local languages and digital skills.
Global stakeholders have become increasingly focused on alleviating disparities in broadband adoption by investing in approaches that address the affordability of devices and services and emphasize the importance of digital skills and digital literacy to effectively participate in the global economy. In a survey conducted by the ITU, less than 40 per cent of the population in 40 per cent of countries surveyed had basic ICT skills, while similarly, less than 40 per cent of the population in over 70 per cent of countries had standard ICT skills and in over 95 per cent of countries less than 15 per cent of the population had advanced ICT skills.
There must be a significant uptake in broadband services and technologies for a community to participate fully in the digital economy. As stakeholders around the world work to deploy broadband networks, it is also important to develop and execute strategies that enable their citizens to adopt and effectively use broadband technologies, services and devices, supported by adequate digital skills. Increasingly, stakeholders use local languages and iconography to increase computer and overall literacy. Optimally, all strategies for adoption will be studied in the context of the social, economic and cultural factors faced by individuals in urban, rural and remote areas in both developed and developing countries.

Question o​​r issue for study

• a) Analysis of adoption opportunities, challenges and disparities for telecommunications/ICTs, including broadband.
• b) Trends in telecommunication/ICT adoption globally, including in urban, rural, remote and other areas.
• c) Trends in Internet traffic and the impact on demand for high-speed broadband, including during pandemics and disasters.
• d) Trends in digital skills development and training programmes.
• e) Methods to promote and encourage digital literacy, training, and skills development across all levels of the global socio-economic landscape to close the digital skills gap.
• f) Approaches to strengthen digital skills training for the adoption of e-services, including e agriculture, e-commerce, e-education and e-health.
• g) Ways to encourage the adoption of telecommunications/ICT services and devices among school-aged children and youth and to teach them basic, intermediate and advanced digital skills so that they can safely participate fully in the information society.
• h) Ways to encourage widespread adoption of new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies to increase fast and reliable connectivity for all, including women and individuals in developing and least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and small island developing states (SIDS).
• i) Strategies and policies to improve the affordability of Internet-enabled devices, including handsets and data services to meet the growing demand for affordable Internet services and devices (in collaboration with Question 4/1).
• j) The influence of cultural, social and other factors in producing unique and often creative methods of encouraging the adoption of e-services by residents of developing countries including relevant content in local languages.

  Expected ​output​

  Reports, best-practice guidelines, workshops, case studies and recommendations, as appropriate, that address the issues for study and the following expected outputs:
• a) Policies, strategies and national experiences to stimulate adoption of telecommunication/ICT technologies, services and devices, including for broadband.
• b) Methods and guidelines for telecommunication/ICT adoption specific to social, cultural and economic environments (in collaboration with Question 4/1.
• c) Policies, strategies and national experiences to develop and promote digital skills, including training individuals at basic, standard and advanced levels.
• d) Methods, guidelines and case studies for lifelong skills training on new and emerging telecommunication/ICT services and technologies for people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds.
• e) Policies, strategies and case studies promoting telecommunication/ICT adoption and skills development in indigenous communities, for women and for individuals in developing countries, LDCs and SIDS.​