  With infrastructure systems lasting for decades, even centuries, there is
growing need to assess sustainability impacts. However, compared to energy or
transportation networks (which each contribute roughly one third of global
emissions), broadband networks have arguably received less attention due to
their much smaller footprint (~1.8-3.9% of global emissions). Nevertheless,
many countries are looking to provide universal mobile broadband over the next
decade to meet Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore,
this paper evaluates the future sustainability impacts of providing either 4G
or 5G mobile broadband, quantifying the carbon and other environmental
emissions associated with each universal broadband strategy. This paper
contributes the first ex ante sustainability assessment of global universal
mobile broadband strategies aimed at delivering SDG Goal 9.

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