As the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals fast approaches, the global digital divide stubbornly persists. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) counts more than 2.7 billion people worldwide who remain offline. In the least developed countries, only 36% of people are online. The digital divide is not evenly spread throughout the world. Historically marginalized communities and people living in rural and remote locations far from urban cores are most likely to live without the Internet. For these communities, legacy technologies and business models have failed to deliver the connectivity they need.
Communities that lack access to affordable and reliable broadband connectivity fall further and further behind in an increasingly connected world. Broadband connectivity has become a prerequisite for social and economic development, education, medical and emergency services, employment, and civic participation.
Thankfully, the world has an opportunity next month at the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) to meaningfully address the pernicious digital divide. By merely agreeing to study outdated satellite regulations and developing regulatory solutions to revise them as needed, ITU Member States can help unleash the most promising emerging technology for expanding global broadband access.
The Promise of LEO Broadband
Advances in satellite broadband — especially Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) systems — offer incredible promise for connecting the unconnected around the world. New NGSO systems will offer high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to unconnected or under-connected communities, even in remote locations where current broadband services are non-existent, inadequate, or uncompetitively priced.
NGSO satellite systems provide a variety of applications that the modern digital economy demands. These systems can serve communities by providing connectivity for both individual users and for…
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