Today's digital transformation is changing economies at warp speed and scale. The ITU series on "The economic contribution of broadband, digitization and ICT regulation" examines this revolution from a data and evidence-based perspective. It quantifies the positive impact of broadband, digital transformation, and the interplay of ICT regulation on national economies by applying econometric modelling techniques.
Importantly, this series developed in the framework of BDT Thematic Priority on Policy and Regulation, builds on several years of robust and reliable data resources to measure the impact of institutional and regulatory variables on the development of the digital ecosystem using top-tier data metrics on the digital ecosystem and the maturity of ICT regulatory frameworks, namely the Digital ecosystem development index and the ITU ICT regulatory tracker.
This analysis uses econometric modelling to pinpoint the impact
of fixed and mobile broadband and digitization on the global economy and its contribution to national economies.
How broadband, digitization and ICT regulation impact the global economyIn 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the central importance of ICT to national, regional and global economies. As decision-makers consider where to place investment spend on ICT and the digital ecosystem in the years ahead - and on infrastructure programmes more generally - this report offers important and practical guidance both for developing and developed countries. The report is based on recent high-quality data and global in scope, and offers four clear high-level recommendations.In addition, the report sets out six powerful and concrete steps which will maximize the economic impact of strategic ICT investment decisions, as well as concrete recommendations designed to boost economic impact.
As economies worldwide look at ways to reinvent and re-charge themselves, this short powerful report is a must-read for governments, policy-makers, regulators, operators and influencers. [Blog]
The Regional Econometric studies
Following the Global study, a series of Regional Econometric modelling studies was developed to present a set of econometric analyses that estimate the contribution of broadband and digital transformation, as well as the impact of ICT policy and regulation on the development of the digital economy in each region.
The outcomes of these regional studies may serve as key reference material to illustrate the impact of fixed and mobile broadband on the economy, where the regions stand in terms of digitization, and the impact of digitization on Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
