ITU, the UN agency for digital technologies, has revealed new industry commitments to its Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition, bringing total pledges for universal, meaningful connectivity to $73 billion.
The latest industry commitments, unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2025 (MWC25), highlight the increasing momentum from key mobile and satellite industry leaders coming together to close the digital divide.
Partner2Connect is ITU’s initiative to mobilize pledges and resources to reinforce global connectivity efforts, strengthen the world’s digital infrastructure, and move closer to ensuring that everyone can use the Internet.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said that, “In space, on land, and under the sea, expansive digital infrastructure highlights how much humanity values and depends on meaningful connectivity. These new pledges bring us even closer to our goal of delivering sustainable digital transformation to everyone, everywhere.”
The new industry commitments come from:
MTN Group, dedicated to investing in Africa’s future, has deployed an average of $2 billion annually in capital expenditure across its markets over the past five years. The company expects to make similar investments over the next five years, in support of Africa’s growth and prosperity.
Globalstar is investing $2 billion to expand its LEO satellite network, providing seamless, low-latency, and energy-efficient connectivity for direct-to-device (D2D) and IoT solutions. Through this pledge, Globalstar will expand connectivity in remote regions, delivering reliable and affordable communication solutions where they are needed most.
The announced industry commitments come as ITU celebrates its 160th anniversary in 2025 and is committed to securing a better digital future for all by advancing efforts to connect the unconnected, fast-track sustainable digital development, and empower people to use digital technologies. Today, 2.6 billion people around the world remain offline, according to ITU’s Facts & Figures report.
ITU has called for $100 billion in commitments to Partner2Connect by 2026 for projects driving digital transformation across all countries, with special attention to the hardest-to-connect communities.
ITU currently estimates that $1.6 trillion is required in hardware costs alone to complete the task of connecting the world, with most of the resources needed in developing countries.
The new commitments will be used to expand and enhance digital infrastructure, strengthen connectivity in underserved areas, and accelerate digital transformation through innovative technologies.
According to the statement, “In total, over 1,000 pledges have been made to the Partner2Connect platform from governments, industry, and other stakeholders, covering 147 countries.”
