The secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Zhao Houlin, explained at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that infrastructure, investment, innovation and inclusion, or the “4 I’s”.
Those pillars for information and communication technology (ICT) will be an obligation to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially for the next ten years.
Infrastructure are essential to hold any economy based on communication and high tech. The future of digital economy in sustainable cities, will largely be based on the capacity to construct strong equipments for those infrastructures, not only to connect people but also objects.
Strong investments are fundamental for the development of ICT. In order to see progress on SDG, innovation in the domain of finance will be needed and a mix between public and private investors is one of the solutions.
Opportunity is only possible with innovation, thus small companies that base their growth and survival by innovating are a key element.
Inclusion is certainly the most important factor in this plan. It basically means that every person that is left aside from the tech revolution and progress, needs to be included, especially in developing countries. 1.6 billion people are currently using their phones to access to financial services through their provider. In those countries, this a step to fight poverty, unemployment, and promote gender equality.
