COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently rampaging the world, has forced global data consumption to increase 283-fold from 0.2 exabytes per month in 2011, to 166 exabytes in 2021. This was disclosed by the Broadband Commission, the advocacy arm of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in its “The State of Broadband: People-Centred Approaches for Universal Broadband,” report. We need to build a digital future that is inclusive, affordable, safe, sustainable, and meaningful and people-centred. Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Commission co-Vice Chair, Houlin Zhao, warned that the pandemic had further exacerbated the global digital divide. “I was pleased to see that the State of Broadband report calls for additional investments to advance progress towards universal access.”

Source: The Guardian September 22, 2021 04:15 UTC