Broadband connectivity has become a basic infrastructure of modern society, just like roads, electricity or water. Science and education communities depend on “e-Infrastructures” that build on broadband connectivity to provide online services supporting the communities’ work. Not only have these services today become indispensable, they have also transformed the scientific process by enabling the instantaneous sharing of knowledge, virtual collaborations within and between continents, and remote access to scientific resources and instruments. Developing regions stand to benefit in particular because broadband networks reduce the barriers of distance and location.