An enabling environment for community-centred connectivity: A WSIS+20 agenda to leave no one behind

Twenty years into the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, there are still fundamental challenges in meeting universal access goals. This shortfall is ultimately due to the absence of a business case that meets traditional operators’ profitability requirements. While traditional telecom operators have played an important role in bringing billions of people online, many developing countries still face significant hurdles. As a result, there is a growing consensus of a need to support different models, including community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCIs), to achieve the WSIS targets. 

However, these initiatives still face challenges even though they are widely recognised in international forums and policy processes as an important means of expanding universal access. Some of the processes are specifically mentioned in the 2024 Resolution from the UN General Assembly on the “Assessment of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society”. Some of the challenges they face are: 

• Inconsistent prioritisation of the need to connect the unconnected
• Insufficient recognition by policy makers at national and regional levels of the potential and feasibility of community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCIs)
• Outdated regulatory environments that create unnecessary barriers for CCCIs
• Lack of innovative and flexible financing for CCCIs. 

The WSIS+20 review and the Global Digital Compact (GDC) offer opportunities to respond to these challenges with commitments and practical measures in support of community-centred connectivity. 

This policy brief shared at the 2025 annual session of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) proposes a six-pillar plan for diversifying access markets to connect the unconnected:

●    Pillar one: Deepen insight into the value of a diversified ecosystem
●    Pillar two: Reduce regulatory requirements for CCCIs
●    Pillar three: Establish innovative financing and investment models
●    Pillar four: Adopt mechanisms to share spectrum
●    Pillar five: Ensure affordable access to backhaul networks
●    Pillar six: Raise awareness and build capacity.

Read the full policy brief here.