A joint effort by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) from Saudi Arabia has calculated that it would require between 2.6 and 2.8 trillion dollars to provide internet access to everyone worldwide by 2030, as outlined in the Connecting Humanity Action Blueprint. The report emphasizes the required investment in infrastructure, skills, affordability, and regulatory frameworks if we want to connect the 1/3 of the global population not yet connected to the Internet.

Digital Framework receives the largest share of the investment, nearly USD 1.5–1.7 trillion. Such a framework covers urban area fiber networks, rural area 4G, and satellites for other remote areas. To achieve affordability, USD 983 billion is needed to reduce the cost of devices and broadband; another USD 152 billion for country-specific and large-scale digital literacy. Regulatory reform is the smallest share, but at USD 600 billion, the money for regulatory reform is still necessary to enable and facilitate digital transformation.

Although many developments have been made, digital access is often poorly and unevenly divided. The Internet will grow to be readily accessible to 93% of individuals in high-income countries by 2024, but just 27% of people in low-income countries will have this capability. The report also indicates that previously mentioned constraints (financing issues, technical expertise constraints, and infrastructural limitations) can be perpetuated in the least developed countries. In light of costs estimated to be now almost five times more than ITU estimates in 2020, the report calls for additional public-private partnerships, innovative financing, and knowledge-sharing to promote universal connectivity.

Recommendations call for utilizing schools as potential access points to digital connectivity and energy infrastructures in Africa and improving the collection of digitally related data at subnational levels. Closing the connectivity divide, ITU states, is a necessary condition for education, jobs, and overall digital inclusion that leaves no one behind in the digital economy worldwide.