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In an exclusive interview with South Asian Herald’s Rajesh Mehta, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas discusses India’s growing role in global digital cooperation, the Indian diaspora’s contributions to innovation, and efforts to bridge the digital divide across the Global South.
Lamanauskas also examines the risk of a “digital pandemic,” the resilience of critical communications infrastructure, and the need to ensure that artificial intelligence advances sustainable development while benefiting communities worldwide.
The Future of the United Nations and India’s Role
For Lamanauskas, the UN remains indispensable in addressing challenges that transcend national borders. “The UN remains essential for cooperation on shared global challenges. Digital technologies alone can support progress on at least 70% of the 169 SDG targets, making digital cooperation critical to the 2030 Agenda.”
He sees India as an increasingly important force in shaping that agenda. “India is increasingly shaping the global digital agenda. It hosted WTSA-24 and, in 2026, the AI Impact Summit, which produced the Delhi Declaration on ensuring the benefits of AI are shared broadly.”
India’s experience with digital public infrastructure is another area attracting global attention. “India’s Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) show how digital public infrastructure can deliver services at scale. India is now bringing this experience to international cooperation on digital public infrastructure.”
He adds that “India is also emerging as a major global innovation hub and an increasingly important voice on inclusive, people-centered digital development.”
The Indian Diaspora and Social Good
Lamanauskas sees the Indian diaspora as an important contributor to the global technology ecosystem. “The Indian diaspora is a major source of global talent and innovation, with Indian professionals in senior roles across technology companies, research institutions, international organizations and start-ups.”
Its contribution, he argues, extends well beyond financial transfers. “India received nearly USD 151 billion in remittances in 2025, the highest amount worldwide. But the diaspora also contributes through skills, investment, mentoring and professional networks.”
India’s digital innovations have also gained international recognition. “Indian digital public infrastructure solutions have received international recognition through ITU-backed platforms such as the WSIS Prizes and Digital@UNGA, including for innovations in rural service delivery, digital identity and e-government.”
ITU and the Global South
Bridging the digital divide remains one of the ITU’s central priorities. “ITU brings together 194 Member States and more than 1,000 companies, academic institutions and organizations, giving countries of the Global South a direct voice alongside the world’s largest technology companies.”
Yet the gap remains substantial. “Yet 2.2 billion people remain offline, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.”
The financial requirements are equally significant. “Achieving universal meaningful connectivity will require an estimated USD 2.6-2.8 trillion by 2030, including USD 1.5-1.7 trillion for digital infrastructure, with much of the gap concentrated in the Global South.”
Preparing for a “Digital Pandemic”
As dependence on interconnected infrastructure increases, Lamanauskas warns that disruption can quickly cross borders.
“Our dependence on shared digital infrastructure means disruption in one place can rapidly affect countries and sectors far beyond it, what we at ITU have described as the risk of a ‘digital pandemic’.”
Submarine cables are particularly critical. “More than 99% of international data traffic travels through submarine telecommunications cables. Damage to a small number of critical routes can disrupt finance, government, healthcare, cloud services and communications across entire regions.”
He adds: “More than 170 cable repairs were reported worldwide in 2025, underlining how frequently this critical infrastructure is disrupted.”
The World’s Invisible Digital Highways
Much of the infrastructure supporting the digital economy remains invisible to users. “The digital economy depends on largely invisible infrastructure: mobile broadband now covers more than 96% of the global population; more than 19,000 satellites orbit Earth, compared with roughly 1,000 a little over a decade ago, data centers accounted for more than one-fifth of global greenfield investment values in 2025; and, as mentioned earlier, submarine cables carry more than 99% of international data traffic.”
“ITU helps this ecosystem function across borders by setting international technical standards, coordinating radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbital resources, and supporting countries in expanding connectivity.”
It is also looking ahead. “ITU is also helping shape future networks, from 6G to the integration of terrestrial and satellite systems.”
AI, Sustainable Development and Governance
Ai presents another major opportunity for development. “AI can accelerate sustainable development, but countries need the infrastructure, skills and institutions to use it effectively.”
According to Lamanauskas, “ITU research found that 85% of AI solutions could directly support progress towards the SDGs, including in healthcare, education, agriculture, disaster preparedness, energy and public services.”
But the central challenge is ensuring that AI does not deepen existing inequalities. “The priority is to prevent the digital divide from becoming an AI divide. Countries need not only access to AI, but also the capacity to develop locally relevant applications and participate in shaping global approaches to AI.”
For Lamanauskas, the future of digital transformation ultimately depends on whether technological progress is accompanied by international cooperation, investment, resilience and inclusion.
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