Asia-Pacific information superhighway: a leap for regional connectivity

The global explosion of new technologies, especially in information and communication (ICT), points the way to the next big leap for regional connectivity: an Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway. 

The countries of Asia and the Pacific are already well recognised for their success in structuring cross-border global value chains which, backed by infrastructure corridors, have helped to boost trade within and beyond the region. There is great potential, however, to further deepen connectivity and maximise socio-economic gains by more effectively integrating ICT across all core infrastructure. 

The urgency for this in Asia and the Pacific is apparent from the growing digital divide: less than 15 per cent of people have high-speed Internet access in the region’s developing economies. The situation is worse in many of our least developed, landlocked Asian and Pacific-island countries – where less than 1 per cent of people have broadband connectivity. And for women and girls access is lower still – regardless of location, level of income or age.

Recognising the significance of ICT in promoting efficiency, productivity and opportunity, the newly proposed UN sustainable development goals target universal and affordable Internet access for all least-developed countries by 2020. By using ICT to augment and enhance connectivity, economies and businesses will be better-equipped to access the benefits of global markets, the Internet can be leveraged to broaden access to education and training, and new tools can be harnessed, such as advanced early-warning systems for the natural disasters whose frequency and impact have eroded many of the region’s development gains. 

It is imperative for the countries of Asia-Pacific to exploit the opportunities of affordable and accessible broadband connections. The way to generate this leap is the creation of an Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway, currently being deliberated by the member States of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). 

Connecting the Internet backbone of each separate country into a cohesive “meshed” regional superhighway, will enhance competition in telecommunications markets and open new opportunities for large-scale investment in fibre optic infrastructure. Seamlessly connecting land- and sea-based fibre networks will lead to economies of scale and lower Internet prices, particularly for the countries and communities who have so-far remained excluded from the advantages of ICT.

The biggest barrier to any new infrastructure is cost. Yet the actual costs of fibre optic materials and conduits are almost negligible. The real challenges are the labour costs of excavation, of securing rights of way, especially across borders, as well as the implicit costs of disruptions and delays in the areas under construction. In countries under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for example, these costs together represent an average of between 50 to 80 per cent of all spending on optical fibre deployment.

ESCAP believes that our region should take a different tack. We boast the world’s widest system of seamless physical connectivity – 143,000 kilometres of the Asian Highway and another 117,000km of Trans-Asian Railway networks. Cemented by intergovernmental treaties and administered by ESCAP, they offer an unmatched opportunity for “co-habitation” of ICT and transport and other infrastructure networks – synchronising optical fibre conduit rollout with land transportation construction. Unexpected, yet perfect partners, in building better connectivity. 

Apart from cost savings of up to 80 per cent, this “dig once – use many times” approach expands and diversifies the revenues generated by infrastructure construction: a win-win for governments, private sector investors and newly connected communities.

In partnership with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), ESCAP has recently mapped existing fibre optic infrastructure connectivity in Asia-Pacific. Our online, interactive map is the first to feature integrated terrestrial and submarine backbone networks, as well as cross-country connections on a single consolidated platform. Our goal is that this will lead to greater coordination between countries, and also between governments and the private sector, in making the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway both a concrete and a virtual reality. 

This is also why policymakers from across Asia and the Pacific convened last week in Bangkok, for the first-ever joint session of ESCAP’s Committees on Information and Communications Technology and on Transport. They identified best practices to unlock synergies between the ICT and transport sectors. They also examined the benefits of amending the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway intergovernmental agreements, building stronger ICT connectivity on the success of the existing cross-border transport networks. 

Also advocated were cohabitation of ICT and transport infrastructure, plus the establishment of a group of experts to pave the way for more affordable Internet in the region, based on common principles for cheaper, more efficient and reliable Internet infrastructure – the foundations of the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway. 

The time for policy action is now. Our region must capitalise on this opportunity to build the inclusive and sustainable Asia-Pacific we need, taking the next big leap in regional connectivity to ensure future prosperity for all our people.

 

Dr Shamshad Akhtar is under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).