The forthcoming wave of undersea cables that will bring true broadband capacity to the African continent will also help to dramatically increase economic growth, according to a new report by the World Bank.

The report, Information and Communications for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact, suggests that every 10% increase in high-speed Internet connections in developing countries led to an increase of 1.3% in economic growth.

It also identifies the mobile platform as the single most powerful way to reach and deliver public and private services to hundreds of millions of people in remote and rural areas across the developing world.

“Internet users in developing countries increased tenfold from 2000 to 2007, and there are now over four billion mobile phone subscribers in developing countries,” said Mohsen Khalil, director of global information and communication technologies.

“These technologies offer tremendous opportunities.  Governments can work with the private sector to accelerate rollout of broadband networks, and to extend access to low-income consumers,” he added.

The report also noted that improved access to ICT services would be a vital factor in the economic and social development of sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank has already stated that capacity is one of the biggest constraints facing the region’s development of broadband connectivity.