Improving IP connectivity in the least developed countries: breaking the vicious circle

The Internet, with its requirement for high‐quality, high‐speed connections, places heavy demands on telecommunication infrastructure. In most LDCs, however, national and international Internet connectivity is in short supply: optical fibres may not be available, satellite links are limited and expensive, and internal telecommunication infrastructures are typically concentrated in a few main cities and present severe shortcomings in rural areas. These obstacles, together with lack of clear telecommunication policies and regulations and an internal market that is often closed to competition, result in a lack of investment and highly‐priced services, all of which impede Internet penetration. All the above‐mentioned elements are connected, and an intervention on one of them could positively impact on all the others. Improved, low‐cost, international Internet connectivity could transform this “vicious circle” in a “virtuous [Internet] circle”?