Uneven connectivity infrastructure continues to hold back digital growth across both emerging and established markets, with challenges ranging from last-mile access to regional interconnection. Growing investment in data centers and AI infrastructure is placing new demands on existing networks, driven by changing traffic patterns and increasing bandwidth requirements. Affordable power and cooling are attracting investment into new locations, yet connectivity costs and limitations remain significant barriers. Focus now turns to where investment is needed, how networks can support evolving AI requirements, and the role of government policy in enabling future growth. In particular, we will discuss:
- Connectivity gaps across established and emerging digital markets
- The changing role of IXPs, transit providers and private networks
- How AI workloads are reshaping network requirements and traffic flows
- Infrastructure investment challenges and the influence of government policy
