Although the proportion of the global population using mobile internet on their own device is increasing annually, the rate of user growth is slowing, show the findings of the latest GSMA State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024 report. The report states that the benefits of mobile connectivity have yet to be fully realised as 43% of the global population – equivalent to 3.45 billion people – still do not use mobile internet
Nearly 160 million people started using mobile internet in 2023. However this is a considerable drop from 2015-2021 levels when more than 200 million new users were added each year.
The report – funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) via the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation – highlights the barriers to getting more people using mobile internet services and the ongoing need for collaboration between governments, mobile network operators and international organisations.
The report outlines the overall connectivity gap, that is, the combination of the usage and coverage gaps. Its findings show that 4.6 billion people (57% of the global population) are now using mobile internet on their own device. The usage gap is nine times the size of the coverage gap: 350 million people (4% of the global population) live in largely remote areas without mobile internet networks (the coverage gap); 3.1 billion people (39% of the global population) live within mobile internet coverage but do not use it (the usage gap). Sub-Saharan Africa is the least connected region globally, where only 27% of the population use mobile internet services, leaving a 13% coverage gap and a 60% usage gap
The biggest challenge remains the usage gap. Getting these people online would be worth an estimated $3.5tn to the global economy during 2023-2030, with 90% of this impact benefiting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The coverage gap predominantly exists in rural, poor and sparsely populated areas – often less developed, landlocked, or small island developing states. An estimated $418bn in investment is needed to build the infrastructure required to achieve universal mobile internet access.
For the unconnected in LMICs, device affordability and digital skills and literacy are the main barriers to mobile internet adoption. In these countries, entry-level internet-enabled devices cost 18% of average monthly income, with this rising to 51% for the world’s poorest 20%. In Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for a quarter of the global unconnected population, this rises to 99% of average monthly income for the region’s poorest 20%.
A lack of digital skills and literacy is the second-biggest barrier overall, but the top issue in Asian countries surveyed as part of the new report. The other established barriers to people using mobile internet are a lack of relevant, localised content and services, concerns over safety and security, and limited access to additional critical infrastructure and services such as electricity.
Enabling meaningful connectivity and driving true digital inclusion remains a challenge as well. An average of 43% of mobile internet users in surveyed countries reported wanting to use it more. While the majority of people who use mobile internet do so daily, it is typically for only a relatively small number of the most popular use cases.
The report also sheds light on the barriers of using mobile internet. The most commonly reported barriers to increased usage include safety and security concerns, affordability (particularly of data but also handsets) and the connectivity experience. Moreover, while the vast majority of people worldwide now access the internet on a 4G or 5G smartphone, one in five mobile internet subscribers are still using 3G smartphones or a feature phone. This reaches more than a third in Latin America, the Caribbean and MENA, and almost two thirds in Sub-Saharan Africa, limiting the range and depth of online and digital experience among users.
John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, commented: “While progress continues to be made in improving infrastructure and in increasing mobile internet adoption, significant digital divides exist. In addition, although most users access mobile internet daily, their activities are often limited to just one or two activities, even though many express a desire to do more. This highlights persistent barriers – affordability, lack of skills and literacy, concerns around safety and security and a lack of relevant content and services – that prevent users from getting online and then using mobile internet to meet their life needs once they are online.
“Governments, mobile operators, and international organisations must collaborate to address barriers such as affordability, digital skills, and awareness of mobile internet and the benefits it can provide. This effort must also focus on investing in local, digital ecosystems and ensuring robust online safety frameworks,” Giusti added.
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