The activities of human development has taken explosive growth with the help of information and communication technology (ICT). Digital technology has been classified as a General Purpose Technology (GPT).GPTs have three key characteristics: (i) they must be 'pervasive' meaning they affect almost all sectors; (ii) they improve over time and thus lower the costs for users; (iii) they must facilitate innovation by making it easier to create and make novel products and/or processes. The challenge for all stakeholders in the ICT ecosystem has been to quantify the impact of digitization. However, realizing the opportunity that broadband presents will require that policymakers undergo a shift in their thinking. They must go beyond considering ICT and focus on digitization, with an emphasis on ICT usage rather than just access. They must take into account their current level of digitization in order to ensure that they are focusing on the right investments to advance to the next stage. And they need to look with fresh eyes at policies that were developed a decade ago to understand how they can be updated for a new era. Policymakers are hopeful about this opportunity, and many are committed to action. The steps they take in the coming years will determine whether they can translate opportunity into reality or not.
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