"This edition’s findings highlight important progress: in 2024, mobile broadband services have become more affordable in most regions and for most income groups, and a growing number of countries are meeting the Broadband Commission’s target of entry-level broadband services costing less than 2
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per cent of monthly GNI per capita. These gains reflect the efforts of governments, regulators, and industry to expand access and reduce cost barriers.
Yet for far too many people around the world, the cost of connectivity services continues to account for a disproportionate share of income. This prevents them from fully participating in the digital economy, accessing vital services, or exercising their rights in an increasingly digital world. Fixed broadband remains largely unaffordable for vast segments of the population, especially in low-income countries. Even where services are affordable on average, significant gaps persist within countries, disproportionately affecting those who are already marginalized. And as digital services become more bandwidth-intensive, affordability must be assessed not just in terms of price, but also in relation to the quality and adequacy of the service." (Foreword)
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"This research applies econometric modelling techniques to examine the economic contribution of fixed and mobile broadband as well as digitization around the world. Building on a series of studies published by the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) it provides significant evidence on the
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economic importance of ICT. The findings underscore the critical role of ICT in driving future global economic growth. As digital infrastructure continues to expand, new opportunities emerge for innovation, productivity, and inclusion. While the pace of growth has moderated, the ICT sector remains a fundamental pillar of economic transformation, with ongoing advancements in connectivity and technology expected to sustain its long-term impact. The initial surge in broadband service adoption, driven by the pandemic, has since slowed. However, the adoption of these services is still progressing, fuelled by increasing service coverage and affordability. A significant driver of the ongoing increase in broadband adoption has been the reduction in service prices. Maintaining this affordability will be crucial for sustaining the upward trajectory of ICT adoption worldwide. The confirmed economic benefits of ICT underscore the importance of policy measures aimed at bridging the digital divide. To achieve this, it is relevant to implement initiatives that reverse the decline in capital spending and stimulate investment, ensuring the continuous expansion of infrastructure." (Foreword)
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"Twenty-four highly accomplished and prominent media scholars representing ten countries provide a survey of international communication, public relations and advertising, implications of globalization, international law and regulation, global culture, propaganda, transnational media, the shifting p
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olitics of media, trends in communication and information technology, and much more. The fourth edition includes six new contributors (Lee B. Artz, Daniela V. Dimitrova, Berna Ackali Gur, Petros Iosifidis, Perry Keller, and Nicholas Nicoli) who cover such issues as politics of global culture, global theories, global law, implications of internet and politics. Other chapters are fully updated to foreground contemporary examples and major events that have impacted our global communication environment. Collectively, new contributions and updated chapters reflect the rapid technological and communications changes that are taking place nationally and globally." (Publisher description)
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"The study’s first major conclusion is that taxes imposed both on operators and on consumers remain in place in many countries around the world. At least 74 countries impose taxes on service providers, whether environmentally related, import duties on equipment or VAT on equipment purchases. Simil
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arly, 145 countries impose VAT on mobile services, while 74 apply import duties on mobile devices.
Secondly, some nuanced geographic patterns in terms of taxation approaches can be teased out from the data. The group of countries exempting equipment purchases from taxation include advanced economies and some less developed countries. This would indicate that this group is not only composed of countries that do not require equipment taxation to increase revenues but also countries that prioritize maximization of network coverage (stimulated by lower equipment taxes) over tax collection. That said, there appears to be countries, mostly concentrated in the developing world, with some middle-income economies, that still prioritize tax collection from import duties on equipment.
Thirdly, unlike with network equipment, many countries were identified that exempt consumer devices from import duty or device-specific taxes. Furthermore, several developing countries were found to tax the import of devices at an extremely high rate. However, some countries have established consumer device taxation approaches aimed at reducing the purchasing acquisition cost. At the other end, some countries appear to have imposed high taxation on consumer devices. In addition to taxes on devices, affordability of telecommunications/ICTs for consumers is affected by VAT paid on mobile telecommunications services, a fairly common practice across countries. Of all services to which VAT is applied, the most prevalent service is outgoing international traffic, where rates range between 2.75 per cent and 20 per cent.
Finally, many countries have enacted a digital service tax to address perceived gaps in corporate income-tax systems. This approach imposes a tax on gross receipts derived from digital advertising, data mining and other types of digital platform revenue. A few countries have already implemented national approaches aimed at tackling profit shifting by digital platforms. While many countries did not report the application of digital service taxes in the ITU Tariff Policies Survey, of the 115 nations that provided a response, only 17 reported applying a digital service tax, and the percentage applied varies from 3% (Fance) to 21% (Argentina). This limited evidence prevents us from understanding what the current trend is in this domain." (Conclusion)
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"I am pleased to present the 2025 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI). This is the third edition based on the revised methodology adopted by Member States in 2023. The current IDI is anchored in the concept of universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC), a term coined by ITU in 2021 that has
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since gained broad traction. Many governments and organizations are embracing this concept, based on the premise that realizing the full potential of connectivity requires more than access – it also means addressing barriers such as affordability, digital skills, and connection quality.
On the path to UMC, the IDI serves as an important tool for tracking progress. The 2025 results show continued global advances in connectivity, with nearly all economies improving their performance. It is encouraging that low-income countries tend to be progressing the fastest, although from a low base. Gaps with higher-income countries remain wide.
This edition also presents attention to the situation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). While these groups often face significant structural challenges, the IDI sheds light on their evolving digital landscapes and the markedly different trajectories within each group. These internal disparities highlight the importance of context-specific policies and targeted support." (Foreword)
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"This handbook provides a comprehensive review of research in conflict and peace communication and offers readers a range of insights into foundational, ongoing, and emerging discussions in this field. The volume brings together peace studies, conflict studies, and communication studies to acknowled
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ge the power of communication - both cooperative, solidarizing, and integrative as well as destructive and divisive - in constituting social relations. It features a multiplicity of authors, including academics and practitioners from all corners of the globe and from across the communicative spectrum. This handbook is divided into four parts: (1) Meta.theoretical, theoretical, and methodological approaches in conflict and peace communication research; (2) Conflict communication; (3) Peace communication; and (4) Cross.cutting and emergent themes." (Publisher description)
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"Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we address complex societal challenges, offering new possibilities in areas such as healthcare, climate resilience, education, and digital inclusion. The Innovate for Impact project was launched in 2024 to identify, support, and showcase practical A
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I solutions that bring tangible benefits to people and communities. A key part of the initiative involves the sharing of use cases, impactful AI applications and global lessons and expertise from around the world. In 2025, building on the success of its first edition, the project expanded its scope through an open call for AI use cases and AI Scholars. We received 234 use case submissions from 32 countries, out of which 160 were selected for inclusion in this interim report. These use cases span eleven key domains and reflect both the diversity of global innovation, regional solutions with lessons learnt and the practical ways in which AI is being applied to solve real-world problems." (Foreword)
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"Das Versprechen der Digitalen Revolution ist die Heilserzählung unsererZeit. Dieses Buch erzählt eine andere Geschichte: Die des digitalen Kolonialismus. Statt physisches Land einzunehmen, erobern die heutigen Kolonialherren den digitalen Raum. Statt nach Gold und Diamanten lassen sie unter mensc
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henunwürdigen Bedingungen nach Rohstoffen graben, die wir für unsere Smartphones benötigen. Statt Sklaven beschäftigen sie Heere von Klickarbeiter:innen, die zu Niedriglöhnen in digitalen Sweatshops arbeiten, um soziale Netzwerke zu säubern oder vermeintlich Künstliche Intelligenz am Laufen zu halten. Der Kolonialismus von heute mag sich sauber und smart geben, doch eines ist gleich geblieben: Er beutet Mensch und Natur aus und kümmert sich nicht um gesellschaftliche Folgen vor Ort. Im Wettkampf der neuen Kolonialmächte ist Digitalpolitik längst zum Instrument geopolitischer Konflikte geworden - der Globale Süden gerät zwischen die Fronten." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This book critically examines how the media assistance and broader "development" sectors have appropriated the catch-all concept of sustainability, originally rooted in economic and environmental fields, to suit their agendas. Analysing 289 project evaluations conducted globally between 1999 and 20
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19, it scrutinizes the tacit discourses underpinning what Pierre Bourdieu termed "the imperialism of the universal" in fostering media systems in the Global South. The book reveals how processes of self-legitimation operate within an increasingly competitive aid market, highlighting a shift from "post-missionary" approaches to business-driven models. Focusing on the often-overlooked African context, it explores nuanced coping capacity in Uganda and the Eastern DRC. Amid questioning of the populist wave as well as power-motivated new entrants, it challenges the recurring aid pattern, emphasizing the urgency of centering social impact and values in media assistance. It offers essential insights for scholars and practitioners navigating the evolving geopolitics of development and public diplomacy. Michel Leroy has been active in media action for over 25 years, both as an implementer and as a consultant. A member of an international research programme on media action, he holds a doctorate from the University of Dortmund. He is now a researcher focusing on the social impact." (Publisher description)
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"We are at an inflection point, where 5G and the ecosystem are set to unleash a wave of innovation. In this Ericsson Mobility Report, we explore how an ecosystem partner is leveraging 5G, network slicing and dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) that will take live broadcasting to a new level, by ensurin
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g seamless, high-quality video streaming – even in crowded environments. The recent advancements in 5G standalone (SA) networks, coupled with the progress in 5G-enabled devices, have led to an ecosystem poised to unlock transformative opportunities for connected creativity. Service providers have recognized this potential of 5G and are beginning to monetize it through innovative service offerings that extend beyond merely selling data plans. To fully realize the potential of 5G, it is essential to continue deploying 5G SA and to further build out mid-band sites. 5G SA capabilities serve as a catalyst for driving new business growth opportunities [...] On the forecast side, we see continued mobile network traffic growth with a 20 percent increase year-on-year, meaning it’s expected to more than double in five years. Fixed Wireless Access is experiencing robust growth and is projected to make up over 35 percent of all new fixed broadband connections by 2030, as service providers capitalize on its flexible and rapid deployment capabilities, offering extensive coverage and an exceptional user experience, compared to other technologies. Finally, we explore the impact of increased usage of GenAI on the consumer side, as it moves from text to voice, video and multimodal. We analyze how GenAI could impact mobile data traffic volumes and characteristics going forward. Differentiated connectivity will be key in enabling a high-quality user experience for these and other conversational applications. There will be no personal AI without mobile." (Letter from the publisher, page 2)
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"This article introduces and examines a hierarchical model of influences that identifies the variables affecting the watchdog role of journalists at three levels: the societal (press freedom and democracy), the organizational (media ownership), and the individual (editorial autonomy and perceived in
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fluences) on a global scale. Using data from 27,567 journalists in 6403 media organizations across 67 countries, the model's validity is confirmed. The findings reveal that variations in journalists’ perception of their role are more pronounced at the societal level compared to the organizational and individual levels. Furthermore, journalists tend to assume a watchdog role more prominently within public media as opposed to private or state-run outlets. Surprisingly, press freedom and democracy have a weak and insignificant impact on watchdog journalism, challenging established norms in the literature, a result that we critically discussed." (Abstract)
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"In this article, we suggest that the ideological cultural forces explain the differences in journalism practices in Western and Muslim majority countries (MMC). It is argued that the norms, values, and the deep political culture of the West and MMC have been materialized leading to different types
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of journalism practices. The statistical analysis of 11,246 interviews from twenty four Western and MMC conducted as part of the second wave of Worlds of Journalism Study demonstrates that journalists’ perception of influences, editorial autonomy, and journalistic roles reflect clear varied patterns, which resemble the overall cultural lines that shape their journalistic ideology. This article, we argue, has extended the hierarchical model of influences to embrace the wider regional cultural lines that avoid the trap of national media systems—centrism. Furthermore, it refutes the dominance of a global Western monoculture and, in turn, a singular global journalism practice." (Abstract)
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