An estimated 2.6 million people in Asia and the Pacific region are still don't have access to digital connectivity, said Atsuko Okuda, regional director, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), at the 7th Community Network Exchange and the 8th e-North East conclave held in Guwahati in end-November. She also pointed out that only seven years remain for achieving the overarching aim of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of “Leave No One Behind” by the target year of 2030.
Osama Manzar, founder and director of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, added that even those who are connected are not meaningfully connected, while the unconnected are suffering for being off the grid.