UNDP: 1 in 6 People in Least Developed Countries Lack Any Mobile Broadband Coverage

A UNDP report published in April 2026 found that in least developed countries (LDCs), more than one in six people still live in areas with no mobile broadband coverage whatsoever — representing a structural infrastructure gap that cannot be addressed by affordability or skills programs alone. The report highlighted that deploying mobile networks in remote LDC areas faces a fundamental economic challenge: high deployment costs combined with extremely low average revenues per user make commercial-only models impossible. The UNDP called for a new international financing mechanism under the Global Digital Compact to close the LDC infrastructure gap, estimated at $428 billion through 2030.