Sustainable Broadband Internet: Current Status & Future Directions

Broadband Internet has become a critical infrastructure, transforming communication, work, education, commerce, and entertainment, with over 60% of personal and social activities now relying on reliable connectivity. This paper examines global broadband deployment, technology trends, functional and technical challenges, and societal impacts, addressing intersections with big data, priority access technologies, and individual and collective outcomes. The study advances prior surveys by providing an explicit sustainability (long-term environmental balance) framework that treats energy efficiency and environmental impact as core evaluation criteria and links broadband growth to balanced sustainable development. It integrates social-impact analysis, cataloging six positive and six negative effects—ranging from education and economic opportunity to privacy risks and social isolation—tied to technical and policy levers. A comprehensive multi-criteria comparison of wired and wireless technologies is presented across fifteen functional, technical, and sustainability dimensions, offering a unified benchmark for planning. The paper also explores emerging technologies, including sixth-generation, Internet of things, cloud/edge computing, artificial intelligence, and metaverse applications, emphasizing their dependence on broadband infrastructure. Key findings highlight the importance of hybrid architectures combining wired, wireless, and satellite networks, the persistence of the digital divide, and the necessity of mitigating negative social impacts while enabling equitable access. Ten forward-looking, user- and operator-centric spatio-temporal strategies are proposed to optimize global broadband performance, enhance sustainability, and ensure inclusive development. By bridging technical, policy, and social considerations, this study provides a framework for policymakers, network operators, and stakeholders to guide future broadband expansion and maximize its societal, economic, and technological benefits.