Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.
Fixed telephone sub-basket (US$ per month)
The fixed-telephone sub-basket does not take into consideration the one-time connection charge. This choice has been made in order to improve comparability with the other sub-baskets, which include only recurring monthly charges. If the monthly subscription includes free calls/minutes, then these are taken into consideration and deducted from the total cost of the fixed-telephone sub-basket.
Fixed telephone sub-basket is the monthly price charged for subscribing to the public switched telephone network (PTSN), plus the cost of 30 local calls to the same (fixed) network (15 peak and 15 off-peak) of three minutes each. The service refers to the traditional fixed telephone line and does not refer to, for example, prices for managed VoIP.
Fixed-telephone sub-basket refers to the monthly price charged for subscribing to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), plus the cost of 30 local calls to the same (fixed) network (15 peak and 15 off-peak calls) of three minutes each. The service refers to the traditional fixed telephone line and does not refer to, for example, prices for managed voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).

The cost of a three-minute local call refers to the cost of a three-minute call within the same exchange area (local call) using the subscriber's equipment (i.e. not from a public telephone). It thus refers to the amount the subscriber must pay for a three-minute call, and not the average price for each three-minute interval. For example, some operators charge a one-time connection fee for every call, or a different price for the first minute of a call. In such cases, the actual amount for the first three minutes of a call is calculated.

Many operators indicate whether advertised prices include taxes or not. If they are not included, taxes are added to the sub-basket, so as to improve the comparability of prices between countries. The sub-basket does not take into consideration the price of a telephone set.

Fixed-telephone access remains an important access technology in its own right in a large number of countries. Additionally, the conventional fixed-telephone line is used not only for dial-up Internet access, but also as a basis for upgrading to DSL broadband technology. While more and more countries are moving away from narrowband/dialup Internet access to broadband, dial-up Internet access still remains the only Internet access available to some people in developing countries.

Prices are reported and collected in national currency and then converted to USD.