Accelerating Broadband Connectivity for Digital Economy Development

As countries advance toward digital economies, development institutions require structured yet adaptable tools to guide engagement with governments, regulators, and investors. Broadband maturity varies widely across markets, creating the need for a framework that supports flexible diagnostics, strategy development, and stakeholder alignment while ensuring consistency with global best practices.

The challenge

The EBRD needed a strategic framework to help its teams engage effectively across multiple countries and accelerate broadband and digital economy development. Each country faced a different combination of infrastructure gaps, regulatory challenges, and market readiness. The challenge was to design a practical tool the EBRD could apply across diverse environments, while also demonstrating its usability through a country pilot.

Project outline

  • Designed the structure and content of the Country Engagement and Action Plan (CEAP) framework.

  • Integrated international best practices, global trends, and challenge-resolution strategies into the CEAP.

  • Identified key broadband indicators and data requirements for market diagnostics.

  • Developed modules covering telecom infrastructure, underserved area broadband, 5G policy considerations, and emerging technologies.

  • Prepared a pilot CEAP for one selected country to illustrate practical application.

  • Delivered a workshop and presented findings and implementation recommendations to the EBRD.

Our impact

Salience equipped the EBRD with a comprehensive, adaptable framework for conducting broadband engagement across its regions. The CEAP provides a structured approach for diagnostics, strategy formulation, and stakeholder coordination, enabling the EBRD to accelerate broadband development and support digital economy growth consistently across diverse markets.


Duration of engagement: August 2020 – November 2020