The lack of connectivity in rural and suburban areas prevents businesses, innovation, school homework activities, telemedicine, and a lot of things that we cannot realize. The broadband availability is the new electricity. In depth studies support that broadband plays fundamental role in accelerating the economic and social development of a country. A broader base of people accessing the internet translates into more commerce and improved educational opportunities. The connectivity boosts the economical development and innovation in all possible sectors of a country such as health, agriculture, education and consequently improvement of the skilled labor. So, it is imperative to provide ways for million of people to access the internet with a very low-cost. Universal broadband access allows the society to meet part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership – which aims the end of poverty based on strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. Universal Broadband has a potential to reduce poverty and hunger, provide access to health systems, minimize the gender differences and inequalities between affordable and less affordable population, provide access to better education, economic growth, innovation culture, and provide positive impacts in environmental, social and governance (ESG).

1. Internet for Everybody
Sergio Cruzes, MsC, MBA, PMP – May 2023
Network Engineer at Ciena (scruzes@ciena.com)
sergio_cruzes2002@yahoo.com
Abstract
The lack of connectivity in rural and suburban areas prevents businesses, innovation, school homework
activities, telemedicine, and a lot of things that we cannot realize. The broadband availability is the new electricity.
1. Introduction
As described by UNICEF, two thirds of the world’s school-age children (1.3 billion children aged 3 to 17 years
old) do not have internet connection in their homes. This prevents them from competing in the modern society. It
isolates them from the world. As schools are closed due to COVID-19, this affects their education and their future.
Based on this, I would like to stress the importance of internet for everybody.
2. Internet for Everybody
The most important thing about broadband penetration that I would like to emphasize is the regression analysis
of broadband penetration and GDP (gross domestic product) levels. This points to a positive correlation between
two variables. Those countries boosting higher GPD levels enjoy higher broadband penetration. Causation works
both ways.
In depth studies support that broadband plays fundamental role in accelerating the economic and social
development of a country. A broader base of people accessing the internet translates into more commerce and
improved educational opportunities (from Pyramid Research, 2009). So, this work shows that companies,
governments, policy makers, and other organizations, especially in developing countries, must recognize the
importance of internet and boosts the development of cheap broadband wireless technology where the most part
of the country population could access with a very low cost rate with reasonable quality, especially in rural areas of
the Least Development Countries (LDCs). This was the most important thing to be discussed and deployed in the
year 2021 where a pandemic issue is causing lots of students to stay at home and most of them do not have an
internet access to support school activities. The COVID-19 brought to table that the digital divide creates inequality
and prevent millions from accessing education, jobs, running a business and other services.
Now in 2023, I stressed again the importance of Internet for Everybody. The connectivity boosts the economical
development and innovation in all possible sectors of a country such as health, agriculture, education and
consequently improvement of the skilled labor. So, it is imperative to provide ways for millions of people to access
the internet with a very low-cost. There are initiatives such as low-orbit satellite systems, WiMAX, TV channels, and
Laser over the air, Alphabet’s Project Loon (based on solar-powered high-flying balloons over the air that is able to
provide connection speeds up to 10 Mbps) and the Facebook unmanned aircraft known as Aquila powered by solar
cells and efficient motors. But the solution needs to be cost-effective. So, as in the 2016, the United Nations declared
internet access to be a basic human right, it is imperative that the society foster the development of a technology
that could bring internet access with a reasonable quality and also to provide means of digital education.
This cheap broadband wireless technology could work in the unlicensed spectrum. This technology could include
all the technology innovation described in the last decade such as cognitive radios, employing TDD structure based
on OFDM, massive MIMO, artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve performance and minimize

2. interference. I do not think the development of such technology will face technology barriers at this moment. The
solution needs to provide great coverage, affordable connectivity speed, scale over time and easy to be upgraded.
Universal broadband access allows the society to meet part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which
are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership – which aims the
end of poverty based on strategies to improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth
[2].
Universal Broadband has a potential to reduce poverty and hunger, provide access to health systems, minimize
the gender differences (can help address the gender gap by providing women and girls with equal opportunities for
education, employment, and entrepreneurship) and inequalities between affordable and less affordable population
(enhance social inclusion), provide access to better education (access online educational resources, remote learning
platforms, and digital tools), economic growth (facilitates e-commerce, digital trade, and the growth of online
businesses), innovation culture (ability to collaborate, share ideas, and access information globally), and provide
positive impacts in environmental, social and governance (ESG). By enabling remote work and reducing the need for
physical travel, it can help reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices.
3. Conclusion
The support of governments, policy makers and other entities such as the big tech companies is fundamental
for this new technology to succeed as an ecosystem of silicon vendors, notebooks, smartphones and other devices
to access the internet.
While digital technologies permit to boost a country economic and social advancements, the universalization of
the broadband access has the potential to act as a transformative tool, addressing various social, economic, and
environmental challenges and contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable society.
References
[1] Pyramid Research (2008): Global Fixed and Mobile Broadband Outlook, The Transformation of Networks -
Business Models and Growth Opportunities, December 2008
[2] https://sdgs.un.org/goals
#InternetforEverybody #InternetforEveryone #BroadbandAccess #SDGs #ESG #UniversalBroadband
#InternetforAll #UnitedNations #UNICEF