CHAPTER ONE: CONNECTIVITY AND CYBERCRIME The persisting digital divide Disparities in internet access are vividly illustrated by mapping the geo-location of global IP addresses. This provides a reasonable approximation of the geographic reach of the internet. While IP address density largely follows global population density, a number of populated locations in developing countries show sparse internet connection availability. Gaps in Southern and Eastern Asia, Central America, and Africa, in particular, exemplify the present digital divide. As of mid-2012, some 341 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live beyond a 50km range of a terrestrial fibre-optic network – a number greater than the population of the United States of America.10 As noted by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development established by ITU and UNESCO, regions not connected to the internet miss its unprecedented potential for economic opportunity and social welfare. The World Bank estimates that a 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration would yield, on average, a 1.38 per cent increase in GDP growth in low and middle income countries.11 Figure 1.3: IP geolocation (2012) Mobile broadband has been found to have a higher impact on GDP growth than fixed broadband through the reduction of 12 Beyond inefficiencies. economic growth, the internet enables access to vital services for the most remote, including education, healthcare, and Source: UNODC elaboration of MaxMind GeoCityLite. e-governance. The role of the private sector A significant proportion of internet infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector. Internet access requires a ‘passive’ infrastructure layer of trenches, ducts, optical fibre, mobile base stations, and satellite hardware. It also requires an ‘active’ infrastructure layer of electronic equipment, and a ‘service’ layer of content services and applications.13 Large global ISPs, such as AT&T, NTT Communications, Sprint, Telefonica, and Verizon, own or lease high capacity interand intra-continental fibre optic transport (the internet backbone) as well as other core internet infrastructure, such as switches and routers. ISP networks are connected both bilaterally, and at concentrated points (known as internet exchange points, or IXPs). Major networks negotiate peering agreements among themselves, whereby each agrees to carry the other's traffic – this allows them to provide fast global connections to their clients. They also carry paid-for data for non-peering networks. Mobile telephone operators and local ISPs own or manage the network of radio cells and local cables that bring the internet the ‘last kilometre’ from server to handheld and desktop devices. Annex Four to this Study contains further details about internet infrastructure. 10 11 12 13 Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, 2012. The Socio-Economic Impact of Broadband in sub-Saharan Africa: The Satellite Advantage. World Bank, 2009. Information and Communications for Development: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact. World Bank, 2012. Information and Communications for Development: Maximizing Mobile. International Telecommunication Union, 2012. The State of Broadband 2012: Achieving Digital Inclusion For All. 3