Fast, affordable residential broadband is no longer a matter of just convenience and entertainment — it has become essential for work, education, and health care. The digital divide continues to yawn wide for the vast majority of the world’s households, in both developing and developed economies.
Half the world still has no fixed broadband, and for the vast majority of households that do have access, their provider’s speeds are not up to today’s definition of adequate service. In many markets, it’s also true that the high cost of building out or upgrading physical infrastructure has left households with only one provider choice. This absence of viable competition often leads naturally to higher service prices, creating affordability issues for lower-income families and further sustaining the divide.