GLOBAL CONNECTIVTY REPORT 2022. CHAPTER 1. UNIVERSAL AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIVITY: THE NEW IMPERATIVE

In the 30 years since the creation of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector in 1992, the number of Internet users surged from a few million to almost five billion. This trend has enabled a digital transformation that has been, and is, transforming our societies and our economies. Yet the potential of the Internet for social and economic good remains largely untapped: one-third of humanity (2.9 billion people) remains offline and many users only enjoy basic connectivity. Universal and meaningful connectivity – defined as the possibility of a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive, and affordable online experience for everyone – has become the new imperative for the 2020-2030 Decade of Action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Global Connectivity Report 2022 takes stock of the progress in digital connectivity over the past three decades. It provides a detailed assessment of the current state of connectivity and how close the world is to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity, using a unique analytical framework. It goes on to showcase solutions and good practices to accelerate progress. This article presents a short version of the report (Part I).