ITU Announces $4.8bn Investments to Enhance Global Connectivity

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has revealed new investment commitments totalling $4.8 billion aimed at advancing global connectivity.

This announcement was made on Monday during the plenary of the 2024 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) forum in Geneva, Switzerland.

These new commitments bring the total pledges through ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition (P2C) to $50.96 billion, marking significant progress towards the $100 billion goal set for 2026.

The ITU highlighted that these investments are crucial for closing the digital divide, with a focus on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance digital access, adoption, and inclusion.

Commenting on the new investment, ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said, “Closing the digital divide requires a team effort, and today we scored a huge win for global connectivity. I am thrilled to see these amazing new commitments and that we have united P2C and WSIS to break through the halfway point in our goal to help bring the benefits of digital connectivity to everyone, everywhere.

"Because of the leadership, vision, and ambition of P2C’s pledgers, millions of people will be given the opportunity to have more accessible, more affordable digital technologies for socio-economic growth, improved health, and everything that makes connectivity meaningful. It’s extremely exciting to see new pledges begin to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to transform the inclusive digital societies we all aspire to build.”

Among the latest investors, American telecom company AT&T has committed $3 billion to help 25 million people in the hardest-to-connect areas in the United States get and stay connected by 2030, bringing its total commitment since 2021 to $5 billion.

Additionally, the Canadian government is investing CAD 2 billion ($1.46 billion) in the AI Compute Access Fund to support AI businesses and researchers and an additional CAD 400 million ($292 million) for AI adoption across various sectors.

Microsoft has also pledged support for projects to accelerate the inclusion of people with disabilities in technology, including AI.

The WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event, running from May 27 to 31, gathers government ministers and officials from over 160 countries, as well as representatives from the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, the UN System, and intergovernmental organizations to address key trends such as artificial intelligence and space for sustainable development.

Nigeria is represented at the forum by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.

The outcomes of the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event will inform the UN General Assembly WSIS+20 review scheduled for September 2025, which aims to identify how WSIS processes can support the Global Digital Compact expected to be agreed upon at the Summit of the Future later this year.