BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin joined leaders from the World Bank, the GSMA, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) in a high-level dialogue which brought together over 300 finance ministers, ICT ministers, ICT regulators, telecom operators and tech leaders from around the world to discuss immediate and medium-term actions to ensure that digital technologies are fully mobilized to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dialogue was aimed at accelerating public-private collaboration to ensure networks are well-equipped to handle spikes in digital traffic, help countries to future-proof their digital capabilities and infrastructure to better cope with future crises, and prioritize access to digital services for those that remain unconnected.
Joining colleagues Makhtar Diop (Vice-President, Infrastructure, World Bank), Mats Granryd (Director General, GSMA) and Derek O'Halloran (Head of the Future of Digital Economy, WEF), the BDT Director moderated Session #2 of a three-part programme, focusing on Ensuring Access and Affordability of Digital Services.
Featured speakers in her session included H.E. Roberto Sanchez, Spanish Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure; Ajit Pai, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission; and Mauricio Ramos, CEO of operator Milicom. Their contributions were followed by a moderated Q&A with the broader community of participants, moderated by Lerato Mbele, a journalist with BBC World.
Acknowledging the tremendous efforts being made by the digital community to keep the world connected during this time of crisis, Ms Bogdan-Martin stressed the urgent need to bring broadband connectivity to the 3.6 billion people who remain totally offline, and to upgrade service levels and boost affordability for billions of others still suffering from poor bandwidth and services and devices that are too expensive.
"COVID-19 has thrown into sharp relief the vast connectivity chasm we call the digital divide," she said. "And it has refocused our minds - unlike anything else could have - on why bridging this chasm and bringing affordable access to all is so urgent. In today's fragile world, we must ensure, more than ever before, that we support the world's vulnerable populations, through meaningful digital access."
The session culminated in inputs to finalize a multi-stakeholder COVID-19 Digital Development Joint Action Plan, which calls on industry and government to work hand-in-hand to prioritize five core areas for assured digital continuity: network resilience; digital access and affordability; compliance with social distancing measures; harnessing e-health, telemedicine and big data capabilities; and ensuring fit-for-purpose institutional frameworks to promote investment.
