6 Conclusion Midway through the 2010s, evidence points strongly to the potential for a global take-off of mobile broadband services, bringing with it expanded access to the Internet and the Digital Economy. ITU statistics indicate that the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide is approaching the number of people on Earth, which is estimated at above 7 billion -- up from just 738 million in 2000. This corresponds to a global mobile service penetration rate of 97 per cent. Meanwhile, an estimated 3.2 billion people globally are using the Internet, of which 2 billion are from developing countries. Just to pull these two trends together, the statistics also indicate that mobile broadband is the most dynamic market segment, with a penetration reach of 47 per cent in 2015 -- a value that has increased 12 times since 2007. The proportion of the population covered by a 2G mobile-cellular network grew from 58 percent in 2001 to 95 per cent in 2015. During the same period, 3G mobile-broadband coverage was extending rapidly and into the rural areas.1 Are we even now entering the era of the Digital Economy? If not, it is perhaps within striking distance. For this reason, this sixteenth edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform has pursued the theme of “exploring regulatory incentives to achieve digital opportunities.” Put another way, with the promise of an exponential leap in connectedness so tantalizingly close, what can regulators do to make sure their citizens get there – and hopefully, get there together?Taking the Last Steps to the Digital Economy Building up from the foundation, the first step has to be an exploration of investment and financing. Governments can set the tone for promoting investment by providing clarity on passive infrastructure-sharing rights, working with local and national governments to promote technology pilots, and supporting community broadband initiatives. They can also help new entrants by expediting licence applications and easing civil planning and construction restrictions. Governments and regulators can proactively champion pilot projects that explore disruptive technologies, such as using broadcasting (i.e “TV white-space”) spectrum to promote broadband services in rural areas not considered to be commercially reachable with more traditional network approaches. Governments can continue to fund broadband networks using public–private partnerships (PPPs) in areas where it is not commercially viable for operators themselves to invest in broadband infrastructure. Meanwhile, investment is coming from new sources. At the “macro” end of the market, new players from the global high-tech industry, such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook have invested in broadband networks and emerging technologies. They are drawn into the telecommunication market space by a desire to generate downstream revenues by leveraging increased use of broadband networks into demand for their content and services. At a lower (perhaps even “micro”) scale, innovative investments using crowdfunding, digital currencies, pension funds and charities largely involve higher-layer services (for example, development of apps and electronic games) and developed markets. This is partly due to the maturity of the Internet ecosystems in those developed markets, which foster technical innovation. But they offer new avenues, both for investors and for those who may need investment capital, to develop apps or community-based infrastructure or content.Building infrastructure for the digital economy remains expensive. Accelerating broadband deployment, particularly outside the main urban areas, is challenging and requires innovative solutions. Governments often favour promoting infrastructure-sharing, also known as “co-investment,” as a way to maximize the incentives for investors and operators to risk entering new markets. Lowering and sharing the risks of sunk costs and boosting the accessibility of networks leads to the building of more network capacity and results in lower prices for consumers.Governments can play a key role in fostering network-sharing and spectrum “pooling” through network build-out requirements, open access mandates and less-restrictive spectrum licensing. Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016 151