The
Policy brief - The affordability of ICT services 2023 offers a concise overview of the cost of fixed and mobile broadband baskets worldwide. It finds that relative to income, the ICT services monitored by the ITU became more affordable in 2023 than ever before. As a result, in 2023, 114 economies had met the Broadband Commission affordability target set at 2 per cent of gross national income, up from 103 in 2022. Remarkably, in an inflationary context, where the price of many goods and services increased, ICT service prices dropped in real terms in 2023. The Policy brief provides relevant details about changes in affordability for 5 baskets of ICT services, including also fixed-broadband and mobile broadband data-only as well as data and voice baskets. In addition, it also features the results of experimental data collection on the cost of more data-intensive mobile broadband baskets.
The analyses reveal a persistent affordability gap between low- and high-income economies, affecting both fixed and mobile broadband services. Furthermore, a quality divide accompanies this gap, especially for fixed-broadband connections. Lack of affordability remains a significant barrier to universal and meaningful connectivity.
