A new report published by trade body the GSMA has revealed that there are 3.1 billion people, who don’t use mobile Internet services, despite living within reach of a mobile broadband network.

To close this ‘usage gap’, according to GSMA, could mean a $3.5 trillion boost to the economy between 2023 and 2030.
It, however, noted that the biggest barriers to closing the void are device costs, lack of digital skills and illiteracy. It stressed that the coverage gap, where people live in areas with no mobile broadband, stands at 350 million people

The global telecoms advocacy body estimated that $418 billion in investments will be needed to achieve universal mobile Internet access
The report noted that the number of people covered by mobile Internet does not necessarily equate to take up, stressing that this is especially true in poor and rural areas where finding the money to buy a device – or lack of education about the benefits of accessing digital services – can often prove huge barriers to adoption.

The usage gap, according to the GSMA’s ‘State of Mobile Internet Connectivity’ report, is nine times the size of the ‘coverage gap’, which is the 350 million people (four per cent of the global population) living in largely remote areas where mobile internet networks don’t reach. It means the overall connectivity gap (usage and coverage) is 3.45 billion (43 per cent of people on the planet). The GSMA estimated that an enormous investment of $418 billion will be needed to close the coverage gap and achieve universal mobile internet access.

The top three countries in terms of usage gap in absolute terms are India (600 million people), China (280 million) and Pakistan (140 million). The least connected region globally is sub-Saharan Africa, where only 27 per cent of the population is using mobile Internet services (a 13 per cent coverage gap and a 60 per cent usage gap).

Another troubling finding of the study, which was funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (via the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation), is that two-thirds of those making up the usage gap don’t own a mobile phone of any type, let alone one capable of surfing the internet.

The positive economic impact of enabling billions of people to move online appears to be huge. If those in the usage gap were connected, according to the GSMA’s report, the global economy could get a $3.5 trillion boost between 2023 and 2030. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to the study, would be the main beneficiaries.

The GSMA identified device affordability as the biggest barrier to mobile internet adoption in LMICs, where entry-level internet-enabled devices cost 18 per cent of average monthly income. That rises to 51 per cent of the average monthly income for the world’s poorest 20 per cent.

In SSA, where large swathes of the population are unconnected, the cost of a mobile internet device is 99 per cent of the average monthly income for the region’s poorest.

The GSMA identified a lack of digital skills and illiteracy as the second-biggest barrier overall but found this to be the top issue among Asian countries surveyed for the report.

Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, John Giusti, said: “Collaboration among governments, international organisations and the mobile industry is essential to addressing barriers such as affordability, digital skills, and awareness of the mobile internet and its benefits.

“This effort must also focus on investing in local digital ecosystems and ensuring robust online safety frameworks.”