ITU Secretary General Wants World to Get 20Mbps Broadband by 2020
The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union, Dr Hamadoun Touré, has told the 7th Meeting of the Broadband Commission in Mexico City that he’d like to “dream big” and set a new goal to ensure that everybody in the world can access broadband internet speeds of 20Mbps for $20 a month (£13.25) by 2020.
At present the United Nations (UN) global digital development targets for internet access are focused on ensuring that “all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access / Service Definitions” by 2015. The top four broadband access related commitments are stated below.
United Nations Digital Broadband Development Targets (2015)
1. Making broadband policy universal.
* By 2015, all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access / Service Definitions.
2. Making broadband affordable.
* By 2015, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation and market forces (for example, amount to less than 5% of average monthly income).
3. Connecting homes to broadband.
* By 2015, 40% of households in developing countries should have Internet access.
4. Getting people online.
* By 2015, Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in developing countries and 15% in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
