With decades of experience in international technology policy, Doreen Bogdan-Martin’s incisive voice and global perspective will kick off The Decade of Digital Inclusion, the Marconi Society’s upcoming master class and symposium in connecting the next billion. Bogdan-Martin, currently the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union, is a renowned leader in digital inclusion.

We interviewed her about the challenges and opportunities of the next decade of connectivity.

We must never forget that right now, around half the people on the planet have still never, ever been online.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin

Your keynote for The Decade of Digital Inclusion focuses on the future of the digital landscape and what needs to happen at the intersection of technology, policy, regulation, and advocacy to ensure inclusive connectivity. Can you share a preview of your thoughts on this topic?

Coordinated action to close the connectivity gap has become urgent. But it is not just about getting network infrastructure in place. 

Better coverage and connectivity needs to be supported by:

• agile, enlightened regulation to stimulate vibrant national markets for digital services
• digital inclusion programs that ensure all people—including children and others who are vulnerable like people with disabilities, rural dwellers, the elderly, marginalized communities—are empowered with the digital skills they need to take advantage of connectivity
• policies to ensure digital services are affordable for most people
• support for digital innovation and entrepreneurship to create sustainable local digital ecosystems and create devices and services tailored to the needs of local users. 

All of these elements will be vitally important to the success of our efforts to finally bridge the digital divide.

Why does connectivity matter?

COVID-19 has pushed us rapidly towards an inflection point, where broadband connectivity has moved from desirable to essential. Broadband has enabled the lucky few to keep earning, keep learning, and stay connected to family and loved ones. We must never forget that right now, around half the people on the planet have still never, ever been online. In the wake of the pandemic, I believe there is a growing community of world leaders who understand that we need to take urgent and drastic action to change the paradigm if we are to build the resilience needed to face future global challenges.

How would you characterize the current state of global connectivity? What are the major challenges and opportunities?

The digital divide has become the new face of global inequality. Even among the roughly four billion people we count as ‘connected,’ not all fully enjoy the kind of fast, affordable connections that are taken for granted in the handful of wealthy countries. Let’s not forget, too, that even in the world’s most developed economies, the high cost of devices and poor rural coverage is still keeping many offline, particularly among the most disadvantaged individuals and communities. For operators and content providers there are lots of opportunities—but no-one is going to be able to do this alone. We need to work together in partnership, and to support infrastructure roll-out with digital skills development, support for local innovation, and content that is meaningful and accessible to new types of user demographics.

How has the pandemic affected the global community’s understanding of digital inclusion?

We have seen a rapid acceleration of digital transformation, particularly in countries where that process was already well underway. And, with the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, we have also seen a system-wide embrace of digital solutions by the UN family, particularly in the area of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 has effectively derailed already slow global progress on many of these goals. With the 2030 deadline now less than a decade away, there is universal recognition that digital is the only way we will get the SDG process back on track.

How does demographic diversity in STEM fields shape the future of technology?

At this time of unprecedented upheaval, the global tech sector will benefit enormously from greater diversity. We need bright young teams in developing countries around the world to start building the apps and services that will be meaningful to local communities. And we need more young women to enter the tech sector and bring their own perspectives to the development of new services and devices. We’ve already seen the phenomenal global success of the mobile money services pioneered in Africa. We need to work together to empower countries to nurture this kind of home-grown tech culture that can deliver compelling and relevant services, in appropriate formats and languages.

How does telecommunications regulation shape everyday people’s experience of access and affordability?

Progressive Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector reform is the key to bridging the digital divide, and regulators are the architects of that bridge-building project. The decisions made by regulators have an enormous impact on the health of local ICT markets; on affordability, on consumer choice, on investment. Today, regulatory best-practice should emphasize collaborative ‘5^th generation’ frameworks that prioritize infrastructure sharing, consultation, and innovative partnerships between an increasingly diverse range of players to drive progress on national connectivity targets.

What role do young people play in the future of connectivity?

Young people are natural and enthusiastic adopters of digital technology, and a new generation of young digital natives is already defining and developing the digital platforms and services that are reshaping our world.

Youth is quite simply a vital and increasingly indispensable voice at the table, which is why my Bureau launched our Generation Connect initiative last year to engage more proactively with young people from all around the world. We’ll be holding our first Generation Connect Global Youth Summit next year, just ahead of our four-yearly World Telecommunication Development Conference, and we will be feeding the outcomes of those discussions by youth representatives into the WTDC conference process.

How do you hope the state of digital inclusion will look by 2030?

While it would be unrealistic to imagine that we will achieve universal connectivity in just under 10 years, it is extraordinary what can be achieved, given the political will. We’ve already seen that highly-connected countries have had much better success in weathering the current health crisis. I am convinced that the message about the importance of connectivity has gotten through to many global leaders, and that we will see dramatically accelerating levels of digital access in much of the developing world in the coming five years. That in turn can create a virtuous circle, where the benefits that rapidly accrue to nations that prioritize connectivity encourage neighbouring countries to adopt a similar strategy.

If we take this path, a fully connected planet could be just over the horizon.

Tickets for The Decade of Digital Inclusion are available now. Join Ms. Bogdan-Martin on October 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C., or experience the symposium and master class virtually from anywhere in the world.