Access for all

Access for All

01.09.2025

Introduction Digital technologies are increasingly a central part of people’s lives, reshaping the way we live, work, and play and creating new opportunities for social and economic development. Businesses are, in turn, using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to fundamentally transform their processes, increase efficiency, develop new products, and enhance their customers’ experience. However, the shift towards an increasingly digital economy can widen the digital divide further between those able to benefit from the digital transformation and those that are not – either because they are in socially and economically disadvantaged sectors of the population or in areas without access…

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Financing universal access to digital technologies and services

01.09.2025

Over the past two decades, as the digital sector has become increasingly central to daily life, universal access funding approaches have undergone major transformations. These changes span both the broader development finance landscape and the specific realm of digital infrastructure. Public funding strategies must now reflect this shift—prioritizing the pooling of financial resources, promoting open-access infrastructure, and using public capital to catalyze private investment. The overarching objective is to maximize the impact of limited financial and non-financial resources, ensuring that digital inclusion keeps pace with digital transformation. To that end, key trends include: a) Using a combination of monetary and…

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Access for All: UMC and efforts to promote access and affordability

01.09.2025

Introduction Broadband Internet access continues to cement its place as a fundamental necessity to communities across the world, making it increasingly important to ensure the promise of universal service. Without affordable Internet access, individuals and communities experience increased socioeconomic challenges and reduced opportunities for education and employment. Further, as government agencies and other public services continue to rely on the Internet to perform basic administrative functions, it is essential that all citizens have access to the digital world. This section explores the importance of expanding broadband access and affordability to meet global and national connectivity goals. It also introduces several…

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Access for All: Value Creation and Demand

01.09.2025

Introduction The broadband ecosystem consists of two key components – supply and demand. On the demand side, value creation is essential to universal service initiatives. This aligns with the Broadband Commission’s observation that there has been a fundamental shift from supply-driven communications access to demand-driven communication (Broadband Commission 2023). While many communities and individuals around the world recognize the value and importance of connectivity, others may need additional support, such as incentives, education, or expanded opportunities to access online services. By understanding the dynamics that impact broadband demand and value creation, policymakers and other government stakeholders can create effective strategies…

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Policies to promote inclusion

01.09.2025

Cross-sectoral policies: digital skills and literacy Universal access (UA) policies – and more recently, universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) policies – have evolved to extend beyond the information and communications technology (ICT) sector itself, more broadly including cross-sectoral approaches that can leverage ICT benefits across multiple economic segments. The ideas of empowering users and leading to positive impact are arguably the ultimate goals of cross-sectoral policies intended to improve and expand the use of ICTs to achieve broader development goals. Perhaps the most prominent example of cross-sectoral thinking is demonstrated by the inclusion of digital skills in UMC policies and…

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Sustainable models for infrastructure expansion and public facilities connectivity

01.09.2025

Expanding telecommunications infrastructure is a priority to foster socio-economic development, particularly connecting essential public facilities such as schools, hospitals, and police stations. In today’s digital society, robust and inclusive connectivity serves as a cornerstone for access to e-services, digital education, telemedicine, and advanced public safety systems. Enhancing strategic planning and implementation of future public policies in this field is essential to fully harness connectivity’s benefits. In this context, a thorough and up-to-date review of good practices in policies aimed at the expansion of access to telecommunication/ICT infrastructure provides valuable insights to policymakers. This article[1] provides a snapshot of the outcomes…

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Monitoring and evaluation of universal and meaningful connectivity impact

01.09.2025

Importance of monitoring and evaluating universal and meaningful connectivity policies and projects A key consideration for the design and implementation of policies aimed at promoting access for all is ensuring ongoing monitoring and evaluation of whether a policy or individual project is meeting its intended goals. This consideration of accountability should be a foundational design component of universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) and universal access (UA) approaches, and relies both on clear, measurable objectives and on the ability to measure progress against them. In a sense, this equates UMC and UA policies and plans with many other government policies or…

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Case studies

27.07.2020

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Related resources

27.07.2020

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