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ITU says effective regulation drives broadband rollouts
Suitable regulation can aid the deployment of broadband networks, the ITU has said.
According to the organisation's 2012 Trends in Telecommunication Reform publication, having a solid national regulatory framework in place is "vital" in accelerating the rollout of broadband services.
Fixed-line broadband subscriptions have more than doubled over the past five years to reach an estimated 591 million earlier this year, but the ITU warned that a "huge divide" still remains between the developed and developing worlds.
This is particularly true in Africa, where a typical connection costs three times the average monthly income.
"Plans are now needed to ensure that all citizens get to benefit from new applications, services and business that the broadband world helps bring into being," said Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU's telecommunication development bureau.
Last month, the organisation highlighted the benefits of broadband by claiming the technology can help to address the cause and effect of climate change and slash carbon emissions.