This report explored the status of the development of broadband infrastructure as a foundation for digital transformation and a prerequisite to the socioeconomic development of the Middle East and North Africa as part of an effort to explore Internet connectivity in the region. The study follows up on Internet Society’s report Middle East and North Africa Internet Infrastructure that was published in 2020, by investigating the developments of broadband infrastructure across the Arab region until 2021 while examining the ramifications of the digital divide and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the network performance and the Internet development plans. The report provides an analysis of recent statistics and findings on connectivity to identify potential routes to address related challenges, and underlines policy recommendations, business models, and potential technologies to further improve network connectivity in the Arab countries. In the effort toward ubiquitous access, governments of the region need to clarify their role in infrastructure rollout depending on the economic setup of the market. The report includes four main sections, Understanding the Connectivity Gap in the Arab Region, Access Infrastructure, Network Resilience, Network Resilience, and the COVID-19 crisis.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 29, 2024 14:15 UTC