1 Investment strategies for broadband deployment and access to the digital economy Iqbal Singh Bedi, Nuno Afonso and Dr Matt Yardley, Analysys Mason 1.1 Introduction This chapter identifies strategies that private and public investors have implemented to support deployments of broadband infrastructure and greater access to the digital economy. Based on a review of investment cases from around the world, this chapter identifies best-practice investment strategies and variations from different regions and service markets. It also identifies key lessons for governments, regulators and investors to stimulate investment in broadband networks.The purpose of the chapter is not to focus on any single investment approach or example, but rather to provide an overall view of the best practices used to encourage investment in the digital economy. The chapter highights global investment trends and considers regional and industry variations. It also examines public-private partnership (PPP) investments and alternative, innovative approaches to funding. The chapter has been prepared using secondary research based on publicly available information. Unfamiliar investment cases have been selected deliberately to provide a fresh perspective, and familiar examples that have already been researched extensively have not been used. The investment cases provided do not represent an exhaustive list of examples, but they have been selected carefully to present a wide a range of cases from around the world, allowing investment trends to be identified.Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016 1 Table 1.1: Case studies covered in the chapter by type of investment strategy and region Types of investment/activity Developing regions Developed regions Public-private partnerships (PPPs)• National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), Tanzania • Johannesburg Broadband Network Project (JBNP), South Africa • Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP), UK • National Broadband Scheme (NBS), Ireland • Metroweb, Italy • Qatar National Broadband Network (QNBN), Qatar Alternative approaches • Google Fiber, Uganda • Seacom, Africa • Asia-Pacific Gateway, Asia • MGTS, Russia • Google Fiber, USA • SIGFOX, France • Community broadband, Germany Financial innovations • mexBT, Mexico • Aentropico, Colombia • Star Citizen, USA • Pebble, USA • Shyp, USA • Hipcom, UK