Connectivity

OUR VISION FOR CONNECTIVITY BY 2050

Responsible connectivity brings people together, enhances transparency and efficiency, and drives access to opportunity

CONNECTIVITY EMPOWERS EVERYONE

DATA OPTIMIZES PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CAN BE TRACKED
AND MANAGED

CONNECTIVITY RESPECTS PEOPLE AND
THE ENVIRONMENT

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KEY TRANSITIONS

UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO BROADBAND AND DIGITAL SERVICES LEAVES NO ONE BEHIND

High-quality, reliable digital infrastructure is put in place globally. Business and government collaborate to make affordable broadband and mobile access a reality for all. Connected devices become readily available, at affordable prices, irrespective of location.
Government and business align to address digital literacy, building skills and enhancing collaboration with the education sector.
Connectivity and digital literacy enable individuals to use the internet responsibly and to harness its full potential. Critical services such as finance, healthcare, and education are increasingly delivered via online and mobile solutions, driving greater social and financial empowerment, poverty reduction, improved health outcomes and reduced inequality.

DIGITAL PLATFORMS ENRICH SOCIAL INTERACTION AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

People leverage platforms to build and strengthen relationships. The global digital environment fosters rich cultural and normative diversity.
Governance structures emerge to address cyber-bullying, hate speech, violent extremism and discrimination online.
Digital tools empower individuals to participate in civil society actions and to contribute to democratic processes more broadly.
Platforms and content providers adopt stringent policies and practices that prioritize transparency and truth, and mitigate the risk of undermining democratic processes.
Checks are put in place to protect against the emergence of digital monopolies and ensure that individual platforms do not possess undue levels of influence.

CONNECTIVITY ENABLES COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, AND THE EMERGENCE OF NEW BUSINESS MODELS AND WAYS OF WORKING

Digital platforms and technologies enable collaborative networks within and across industries, driving new partnerships and opportunities for innovation.
In many areas, digitalization enables a shift from traditional business models to platforms and networks which form the heart of a new digital economy, enhancing product and service offerings, and creating a host of new economic and employment opportunities.
New ways of remote working which became mainstream during the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be embraced by employers and employees.

CONNECTED DEVICES LEAD TO IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AND EFFICIENCY

Companies benefit from maturing technologies which make the Internet of Things easier to implement across a variety of environments. Sensor technologies become cheaper, more advanced and more widely available. Computing power increases and applications shift towards cloud and edge computing solutions.
As connectivity between things and organizations improves, vast amounts of data are collected and analyzed, enhancing productivity and efficiency and optimizing energy, material and water use across a broad range of sectors.
New standards emerge to tackle data privacy issues around connected devices.

THE HEALTH OF NATURAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS IS CONTINUOUSLY TRACKED

Connectivity takes on a critical role in enhancing global capacity to monitor the status of the natural world and impacts upon it.
Continuous monitoring also enables negative impacts and illegal or harmful practices to be identified early, empowering people everywhere to take timely action to protect the natural environment.
The processing of complex datasets facilitates more targeted and impactful support for poverty and hunger alleviation, healthcare, education and disaster recovery efforts.
Companies leverage new levels of data quantity, quality, and sharing to monitor and manage supply chain risks and ensure responsible, sustainable sourcing.

GOVERNMENTS AND BUSINESS STRENGTHEN DIGITAL SECURITY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND TRUST

Recognition of data privacy and security’s importance grows exponentially, and organizations are increasingly held accountable.
International guidelines that enable the flow of data and services while protecting the right to privacy are widely adopted. Businesses take the lead in ensuring the right to privacy is upheld.
Companies partner with government, civil society, and innovators to develop norms and practices that enhance trust in the digital economy.

IMPACTS OF DIGITAL GROWTH ARE MITIGATED THROUGH RESPONSIBLE MODELS OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

Technological innovation and decarbonization significantly reduce the environmental impact of both digital infrastructure and hardware.
Electronic products are designed to be repaired, recovered, recycled and reused. Cross-sector collaboration, investment, and standardization drive reduction and stewardship of electronic waste.
Consumers are made increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts of their digital behaviors.
Regulators, companies, and civil society groups align to ensure that human rights are protected and respected throughout the connectivity value chain, from minerals and metals sourcing to content oversight.
Multi-stakeholder initiatives are convened to monitor and address the impacts of digital disruption on job markets. Companies empower workers to benefit from new technologies and provide appropriate learning, training, and support.

CONNECTIVITY

ACTION AREAS FOR BUSINESS

2021-2030

Collaborate with governments, sector peers, and financial institutions to deliver the infrastructure and service offerings needed to ensure affordable, reliable internet connectivity for all.

Collaborate with governments on wider initiatives to expand digital literacy and address the digital skills gap, particularly for underrepresented groups.

Collaborate across the ICT sector, and with civil society and governments, to build transparent and impartial infrastructure for monitoring the state of the natural world and understanding impacts in real-time.

Harness the power of emerging digital technologies to advance supply chain transparency and traceability mechanisms and drive open access to data.

Implement and help shape emerging best practices to ensure that data is safeguarded throughout the value chain and that people’s right to privacy is protected.

Convert all data centers to 100% net-zero energy.

Continue to implement and enhance efforts to conduct human rights due diligence throughout connectivity value chains in line with the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.

Embrace circular economy principles to prevent exponential growth in e-waste and depletion of natural resources.

Engage with workers in the process of designing, adopting, and working with new digital technologies, and equip them with the skills they need to benefit from these technologies.

Adopt stringent policies and practices to stem the spread of disinformation and take concrete steps to protect users from online crime, extremism, hate speech, discrimination and cyber-bullying.

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