TRENDING
Latest ITU data shows
digital divide still growing
New data released by ITU, the UN
specialised agency for information
and communication technology, show
that 3.9 billion people remain cut-off
from the vast resources available on
the Internet, despite falling prices
for ICT services. ICT Facts & Figures
2016 shows that developing countries
now account for the vast majority
of Internet users, with 2.5 billion
users compared with one billion in
developed countries.
Internet penetration rates tell a
different story, with 81% in developed
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INTELLIGENTCIO
countries, compared with 40% in
developing countries and 15% in the
Least Developed Countries.
“Access to information and
communication technologies,
particularly broadband, has the
potential to serve as a major
accelerator of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development.
Global interconnectedness is rapidly
expanding, however more needs to be
done to bridge the digital divide and
bring the more than half of the global
population not using the Internet
into the digital economy,” said ITU
Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.
“2016 marks the year when
the international community is
embarking on the implementation
of the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals and their 169 targets. ITU,
given the tremendous development
of ICTs, has a key role to play in
facilitating their attainment,” says
Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s
Telecommunication Development
Bureau. “ITU statistics inform public
and private-sector decision makers,
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