ITU Body Supports Universal Smartphone Access Plan

The ITU backed a range of measures to close the connectivity gap. They include boosting smartphone adoption, including flexible financing from operators, lower device duties, and improved rural distribution routes. The ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development approved a report compiled by its working group on smartphone access identifying ways to reach a goal of expanding usage to 3 billion additional people by 2030.

The working group, which is co-chaired by Vodafone CEO Nick Read, found smartphone adoption was being hampered by limited affordability of devices, low availability, and issues with consumer confidence including a lack of basic digital skills. Recommendations made in the report include addressing the affordability of new devices through cuts in tax and import duties, along with investigating the use of device subsidies and the promotion of pre-owned devices.

Following the document’s publication and subsequent support for the findings, the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development is set to create a task force to complete an action plan. Points to be covered are: initiating mutually beneficial partnerships across the digital value chain; various measures to improve recycling regulation and impose quality standards on used devices; investigation into using subsidies from governments and its Universal Service Fund; and exploring the economic benefits of cutting duties on smartphones. “We need focused partnerships between business, government, and civil society to drive smartphone adoption, through the five actions we have identified, to ensure we enable the transformative benefits of internet adoption for billions of people,“ said Reed.