Mobile internet ‘usage gap’ comprises more than 3 billion people

• A new report published by trade body the GSMA says there are 3.1 billion people who don’t use mobile internet services, despite living within reach of a mobile broadband network
• Closing this ‘usage gap’ could mean a $3.5tn boost to the economy between 2023 and 2030, it finds
• The biggest barriers to closing the void are device costs, lack of digital skills and illiteracy
• The coverage gap, where people live in areas with no mobile broadband, stands at 350 million people
• The GSMA estimates investment of $418bn will be needed to achieve universal mobile internet access

It’s well understood that the number of people covered by mobile internet does not necessarily equate to takeup. 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.

What might come as a surprise is how big the so-called ‘usage gap ‘is. According to a new report from the GSMA, which represents the world’s mobile operator community, about 3.1 billion people on the planet (some 39% of the world’s population) do not use mobile internet services, even though they live within reach of a mobile broadband network that would enable them to do so.

The usage gap, states the GSMA’s ‘State of Mobile Internet Connectivity’ report, is nine times the size of the ‘coverage gap’, which is the 350 million people (4% 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% of people on the planet). The GSMA estimates that an enormous investment of $418bn 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% of the population are using mobile internet services (a 13% coverage gap and a 60% 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, estimates the GSMA’s report, the global economy could get a $3.5tn boost between 2023 and 2030. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), adds 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% of average monthly income. That rises to 51% of average monthly income for the world’s poorest 20%. In sub-Saharan Africa, where large swathes of the population are unconnected, the cost of a mobile internet device is 99% of the average monthly income for the region’s poorest.  

The GSMA identifies 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. Other established barriers to adoption include 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.  

“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,” said John Giusti, chief regulatory officer at the GSMA. “This effort must also focus on investing in local digital ecosystems and ensuring robust online safety frameworks.” 

The GSMA further notes that while the proportion of the global population using mobile internet on their own device continues to increase annually, growth is slowing down: 160 million people started using mobile internet last year (similar to 2022 levels) but a drop from 2015-21 when more than 200 million new users were added each year.  

- Ken Wieland, Contributing Editor, TelecomTV