Independent Evaluation Group2012-03-192012-03-192011978-1-60244-193-4https://hdl.handle.net/10986/2370Technological innovation drives economic progress. Information and communication technologies (ICT) can be leveraged for development, but harnessing this potential depends on an enabling environment for their production, diffusion, and use. Otherwise, technology can widen rather than narrow existing inequalities. Over the past decade developing countries have seen rapid but uneven growth in ICT access and use. The unprecedented spread of mobile technologies, driven by private sector investment and supported by reforms to promote competition, enabled the growth of phone services for the underserved and poor to levels unseen before. But outside mobile telephony, large gaps exist in high-speed Internet access and broadband connectivity and in the diffusion and use of ICT in business, services, and government the areas where ICT can deliver the largest developmental impacts. The World Bank Group's strategy has sought development results in ICT by promoting (i) sector reform, (ii) access to information infrastructure, (iii) ICT skills development, and (iv) ICT applications. Among these areas, the Bank Group's most notable contributions have been in sector reforms and support to private investments for mobile telephony in difficult environments and in the poorest countries, where most of its activities have taken place. Countries with Bank Group support for policy reform and investments have increased competition and access faster than countries without such support. Going forward, the World Bank Group should retain a role in ICT, but with an important shift in priorities. First, the importance of reforms suggests a role for the Bank in this area related to (i) updating regulatory frameworks and (ii) preserving competition in the face of consolidation and convergence in the sector. Second, gaps in broadband and internet access, in the context of overall expansion of coverage, call for a selective role of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) in supporting private investments in difficult environments.CC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS MANAGEMENTACCESS TO INFORMATIONACCESS TO SERVICESACCOUNTABILITYACTION PLANADOPTION OF ICTADVISORY SERVICEADVISORY SERVICESBACK-OFFICEBACKBONEBACKBONESBANK LENDINGBEST PRACTICEBROADBANDBROADBAND ACCESSBROADBAND CONNECTIVITYBUSINESS INCUBATORSBUSINESS MODELBUSINESS MODELSBUSINESS PERFORMANCECAPABILITIESCAPACITY BUILDINGCAPITAL INVESTMENTCOMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURECOMMUNICATION NETWORKSCOMMUNICATION SERVICESCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIESCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGYCOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURECOMPETITIVENESSCOMPUTERSCONSOLIDATIONCONSULTING SERVICECOORDINATION MECHANISMSDECENTRALIZATIONDELIVERY SYSTEMSDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCEDEVELOPMENT BANKE-COMMERCEE-GOVERNMENTE-LEARNINGE-MAILECONOMIC COOPERATIONECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMICSECONOMIES OF SCALEELECTRICITYEMPOWERMENTENABLING ENVIRONMENTENTREPRENEURSENTREPRENEURSHIPEQUIPMENTEXTERNAL FUNDSFINANCIAL INSTITUTIONSGICTGLOBAL KNOWLEDGEGOVERNMENT POLICYGUARANTEE AGENCYHARMONIZATIONHOUSEHOLDSHUMAN CAPACITYICTINEQUALITIESINFORMATION INFRASTRUCTUREINFORMATION MANAGEMENTINFORMATION TECHNOLOGYINNOVATIONSINSTITUTIONINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITYINSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDINGINSTITUTIONAL REFORMINSTITUTIONAL REFORMSINTERNATIONAL BANKINTERNATIONAL FINANCEINTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONINTERNET ACCESSINTERNET SERVICESKEY CHALLENGESKNOWLEDGE BASELENDING PORTFOLIOLICENSINGMANAGEMENT SYSTEMSMASS MARKETMATERIALMEDIUM ENTERPRISEMOBILE APPLICATIONSMOBILE DEVICESMOBILE NETWORKMOBILE PHONEMOBILE PHONE SUBSCRIBERSMOBILE PHONESMOBILE SERVICEMOBILE TELEPHONEMOBILE TELEPHONYMONEY TRANSFERNETWORKSNEW BUSINESSOPEN GOVERNMENTOPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIPPENETRATION RATEPENETRATION RATESPHOTOPHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTUREPOLICY FRAMEWORKPOLICY FRAMEWORKSPRIVATE INVESTMENTPRIVATE INVESTMENTSPRIVATE PARTNERSHIPPRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSPRIVATE SECTORPRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENTPRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENTPRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENTSPRIVATE SECTORSPRIVATIZATIONPROCUREMENTPRODUCTIVITYPUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONPUBLIC SERVICESPUBLIC- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPPUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPPUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPSRATES OF RETURNREAL-TIME DATAREGULATORY ENVIRONMENTREGULATORY FRAMEWORKREGULATORY FRAMEWORKSREORGANIZATIONRESULTRESULTSRISK MANAGEMENTRISK MITIGATIONRURAL ACCESSSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE PROVIDERSSOFTWARE APPLICATIONSSPECTRUM MANAGEMENTSUPERVISIONSYSTEM DEVELOPMENTTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETECHNICAL ISSUESTECHNICAL SKILLSTECHNICAL STAFFTECHNICAL SUPPORTTECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONTECHNOLOGY POLICYTELECOMTELECOMMUNICATIONSTELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENTTELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDERSTELEPHONETELEPHONE PENETRATIONTRACKING SYSTEMTRAINING MATERIALSTRANSPORTUNIONUNIVERSAL ACCESSUNIVERSAL ACCESS POLICIESUNIVERSAL SERVICEURBAN DEVELOPMENTUSERUSERSUSESVENTURE CAPITALVILLAGEVILLAGESWIRELESS ACCESSWorld Bank10.1596/978-1-60244-193-4