According to the Connecting Humanity Action Blueprint, released by the International Telecommunication Union and Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST), most of that cash will be eaten up by hard infrastructure.
The bill includes $1.5-$1.7 trillion for fibre, 4G, and satellite networks, mostly in places the telecom industry has ignored because it’s not worth the bother. The rest goes to making devices and services affordable, boosting digital skills, and smoothing out policies that are decades behind the tech.
ITU secretary-general Doreen Bogdan-Martin said: “Digital connectivity means creating opportunities for education, jobs, and access to essential services that can transform lives and communities. While significant resources are needed to meaningfully connect everyone, these are investments that will contribute to a prosperous digital future for all.”
The scale of the problem is hard to ignore. About 2.6 billion people remain offline, mostly in places with the least cash and the most flaky infrastructure.
In high-income countries, 93 per cent of the population used the Internet in 2024. In low-income areas, it was just 27 per cent.
This new estimate is nearly five times higher than the ITU’s last effort, which it put together in 2020 for the G20 under the Saudis.
Acting CST governor Haytham Al Ohali said: “The world needs between USD 2.6 trillion and USD 2.8 trillion to connect humanity by 2030. This figure is nearly five times higher than the last assessment conducted in 2020 in partnership with ITU during the Saudi chairmanship of the G20. Such a dramatic increase underscores the urgency for international cooperation, collective investment, and the sharing of expertise if we are to achieve the vision of universal, meaningful connectivity for all.”
Affordability of communications will cost $983 billion, according to the report. People in poorer countries still can’t afford smartphones or mobile data, even when the networks exist.
Another $152 billion is needed just to teach people how to use the Internet properly, because all the infrastructure in the world is no good if users can’t get past the home screen.
The last $600 million is for dragging outdated policies and regulations into the modern world, though it’s by far the cheapest part of the plan.
The report makes it clear that public-private partnerships, investment in schools as access points, reliable electricity grids in Africa, and better data collection are all essential if the digital divide isn’t going to get even worse.
What it doesn’t explain is where the money will actually come from.
