By Chinenye Anuforo
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has warned that achieving universal, meaningful internet connectivity by 2030 will require an investment of $2.6 trillion to $2.8 trillion over the next five years to close the global digital divide.
The Connecting Humanity Action Blueprint, released on Monday, September 1, builds on ITU’s 2020 Connecting Humanity report, which aimed to connect the world within a decade. Despite 400 million more people coming online since 2020, 2.6 billion remain offline in 2024, threatening social progress and global markets, according to the ITU.
The report identifies infrastructure as the largest cost, requiring up to $1.7 trillion to extend broadband to over 500 million unserved households through fibre, 4G fixed wireless, and satellite. Affordability of services and devices accounts for $983 billion, while $152 billion is needed for digital skills training for 1.5 billion people. Additionally, $600 million is required to modernise policies and regulations in developing countries.
“Connectivity is not just about cables and towers. It is about enabling access to education, healthcare, and jobs, and unlocking billions in untapped economic potential,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
The blueprint highlights opportunities for the business community, with the ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition already mobilising over $50 billion in commitments from telecoms, tech firms, and development banks toward its $100 billion target by 2026. The International Finance Corporation estimates that bridging Africa’s connectivity gap could unlock $32 billion in new investments and add up to two percentage points to annual GDP growth in low-income economies.
The ITU emphasises multi-stakeholder and public-private partnerships, citing Brazil’s Connected North initiative and Ghana’s Girls in ICT Trust as models for sustainable adoption. The report proposes eight Digital Inclusion Transformative Projects, including a $20 smartphone initiative, a last-mile connectivity fund, and efforts to address backbone infrastructure gaps in 16 African landlocked countries, alongside a global digital skills campaign for the AI era.
Telecom giants like MTN and satellite operators like Starlink are investing heavily in African infrastructure and rural markets, with regulatory reforms expected to drive further investment. The ITU stresses that closing the digital divide is critical for global commerce, warning, “In the 21st century, no economy can afford to leave 2.6 billion people offline. The cost of inaction would be far greater.”
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