As global operators seek to build broad business bases, and to maximize efficiency and returns on infrastructure investment, recent years have seen a convergence of traditionally distinct information technologies, communication technologies, and web services. 14 Telecommunications networks are evolving into all-IP data Figure 1.4: Global submarine cables networks, with standardized Source: UNODC elaboration of data from http://www.cablemap.info/ products and simpler interconnectivity. Increased cloud storage and computing will enable the same services and user content to be delivered to any user device, whether a mobile phone, desktop or tablet computer. IP technology generally reduces the cost of commercial network operations. However, the cost of international bandwidth can still vary enormously, depending upon the elasticities of supply and demand. Until, for example, the ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine cable becomes fully operational, countries in Western Africa remain burdened with some of the highest internet connectivity costs in the world, due to exclusive reliance on commercial satellite bandwidth. 15 As an infrastructure, the internet’s growth can be compared to the development of roads, railways, and electricity, which are dependent on private sector investment, construction and maintenance, but regulated and incentivized by national governments. At the same time, the internet is often regarded as more private-sector led. Working with the private sector, governments can offer public sector policy leadership and facilitate growth of the internet through direct investment in infrastructure and services, by putting in place policies that promote competition and remove investment barriers, and by providing incentives to enterprises that deploy internet services. 16 1.2 Contemporary cybercrime Key results: • Computer-related crime is a long-established phenomenon, but the growth of global connectivity is inseparably tied to the development of contemporary cybercrime • Today’s cybercrime activities focus on utilizing globalized information communication technology for committing criminal acts with transnational reach • Some cybercrime is committed using stand-alone or closed computer systems, although much less frequently In addition to its socio-economic benefits, there is no doubt that computer technology and 14 15 16 World Economic Forum, 2012. The Global Information Technology Report 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World. Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, 2012. The Socio-Economic Impact of Broadband in sub-Saharan Africa: The Satellite Advantage. World Economic Forum, 2012. The Global Information Technology Report 2012: Living in a Hyperconnected World. 4