.3 billion. That’s the number of people worldwide who use a mobile phone. It equates to 66% of the global population; a number almost unimaginable ten years ago. Already today 55% of people globally use the mobile internet, including more than 3.3 billion subscribers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where mobile is the primary and, in many cases only, form of internet access.
As nations around the world recover from the effects of COVID-19, policymakers and mobile operators are rightly focused on fully extending connectivity; investing in network infrastructure that is bringing millions of people within range of critical digital services and helping them play an active role in our digital society.
Huge progress is being made. Operators’ network investments have driven the coverage gap for mobile broadband networks down from 1.4 billion people in 2015 to 400 million people in 2021. And since 2015, 560 million of the world’s poorest people have gained mobile internet access, boosting social and economic mobility, helping to narrow the gender gap and acting as a powerful enabler in the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This year’s Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals report (which tracks the mobile industry’s contribution to the achievement of the SDGs) shows that mobile is contributing strongly to eleven of the 17 SDGs. In particular, it is playing a massive role in enabling Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure development (SDG9), as well as contributing to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger) and 4 (Quality Education) by helping people search and apply for jobs, access government services, and educate themselves and their families online.
However, there is clearly more to do. Billions of people have yet to benefit from the transformational economic and social impacts of digital technologies.
Part of the solution is clearly continued infrastructure investment, driving for even deeper, sustainable coverage, especially in rural areas.
However, creating truly connected citizens is about far more than just living somewhere with network coverage. It’s about being able to access it, affordably; about knowing how to use it, and benefit from it; and about being protected from the risks of our online world.
Currently, 3.2 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but are unable to use them due to a lack of knowledge or skills, affordability issues, inadequate local and relevant content, or concerns around safety and security.
This ‘usage gap’ is swiftly becoming one of the biggest challenges in global connectivity, and disproportionately affects the poorest in society.
So how do we address the issue? Frankly, there is no ‘silver bullet’, but across the globe, operators are tackling important challenges like device affordability and digital skills development. For example, in India, Reliance Jio has unveiled a mass-market smartphone, jointly developed with Google, with financing options to make it accessible for a wider range of consumers.
Acquiring digital skills is critical for people to participate in a rapidly digitalising society. In 2019 Africa’s largest mobile operator MTN launched its flagship digital literacy programme, MTN Data-Smart, based on the GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit, which uses remote delivery methods alongside traditional face-to-face training. In 2021, the operator trained 24 million people across 12 countries through this initiative.
However, mobile operators can’t overcome the barriers to adoption alone.
Governments have an important role to play in driving digital inclusion through investing in digital skills training for citizens, expanding the availability of relevant content and supporting online public services. To improve affordability governments can reduce spectrum fees, cut back on unnecessary regulation, and avoid discriminatory taxation on the mobile sector.
Mobile connectivity is a hugely powerful tool for governments as they seek to bounce back from COVID-19 and deliver on their SDG goals; a ‘force multiplier’ in inclusion, education, skills development and economic growth. By working collaboratively with the mobile industry, governments, regulators and NGOs can truly unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive.
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For Billions of People Digital Connectivity Is Still a Dream
Photo by Midjourney.
September 22, 2022
5.3 billion people worldwide use a mobile phone, and 55% of people globally use the mobile internet. However, there is more to do, and billions of people have yet to benefit from the transformational economic and social impacts of digital technologies, writes GSMA Director General Mats Granryd.
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.3 billion. That’s the number of people worldwide who use a mobile phone. It equates to 66% of the global population; a number almost unimaginable ten years ago. Already today 55% of people globally use the mobile internet, including more than 3.3 billion subscribers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where mobile is the primary and, in many cases only, form of internet access.
As nations around the world recover from the effects of COVID-19, policymakers and mobile operators are rightly focused on fully extending connectivity; investing in network infrastructure that is bringing millions of people within range of critical digital services and helping them play an active role in our digital society.
Huge progress is being made. Operators’ network investments have driven the coverage gap for mobile broadband networks down from 1.4 billion people in 2015 to 400 million people in 2021. And since 2015, 560 million of the world’s poorest people have gained mobile internet access, boosting social and economic mobility, helping to narrow the gender gap and acting as a powerful enabler in the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This year’s Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals report (which tracks the mobile industry’s contribution to the achievement of the SDGs) shows that mobile is contributing strongly to eleven of the 17 SDGs. In particular, it is playing a massive role in enabling Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure development (SDG9), as well as contributing to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger) and 4 (Quality Education) by helping people search and apply for jobs, access government services, and educate themselves and their families online.
However, there is clearly more to do. Billions of people have yet to benefit from the transformational economic and social impacts of digital technologies.
Part of the solution is clearly continued infrastructure investment, driving for even deeper, sustainable coverage, especially in rural areas.
However, creating truly connected citizens is about far more than just living somewhere with network coverage. It’s about being able to access it, affordably; about knowing how to use it, and benefit from it; and about being protected from the risks of our online world.
Currently, 3.2 billion people live in areas covered by mobile broadband networks but are unable to use them due to a lack of knowledge or skills, affordability issues, inadequate local and relevant content, or concerns around safety and security.
This ‘usage gap’ is swiftly becoming one of the biggest challenges in global connectivity, and disproportionately affects the poorest in society.
So how do we address the issue? Frankly, there is no ‘silver bullet’, but across the globe, operators are tackling important challenges like device affordability and digital skills development. For example, in India, Reliance Jio has unveiled a mass-market smartphone, jointly developed with Google, with financing options to make it accessible for a wider range of consumers.
Acquiring digital skills is critical for people to participate in a rapidly digitalising society. In 2019 Africa’s largest mobile operator MTN launched its flagship digital literacy programme, MTN Data-Smart, based on the GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit, which uses remote delivery methods alongside traditional face-to-face training. In 2021, the operator trained 24 million people across 12 countries through this initiative.
However, mobile operators can’t overcome the barriers to adoption alone.
Governments have an important role to play in driving digital inclusion through investing in digital skills training for citizens, expanding the availability of relevant content and supporting online public services. To improve affordability governments can reduce spectrum fees, cut back on unnecessary regulation, and avoid discriminatory taxation on the mobile sector.
Mobile connectivity is a hugely powerful tool for governments as they seek to bounce back from COVID-19 and deliver on their SDG goals; a ‘force multiplier’ in inclusion, education, skills development and economic growth. By working collaboratively with the mobile industry, governments, regulators and NGOs can truly unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive.
