"Over half a billion people who are living in areas with a mobile broadband network are not using mobile internet, despite substantial increases in mobile broadband coverage since 2014. Significant gender and rural-urban gaps persist. Women are 37% less likely to use mobile internet than men. Signif
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icant gains have been made in both 3G and 4G coverage since 2014, yet in 2020 only half the population had access to a 4G network. Affordability has improved substantially but remains a key barrier, especially handset affordability. Smartphone adoption is increasing but smartphones still account for less than half of total connections." (Pages 1-3)
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"Six years ago, about a third of the world’s population were using mobile internet. Today, it is more than half. Despite this progress, the pandemic has highlighted how big gaps in connectivity persist, even in high-income markets. 3.8 billion people still do not have access to the internet – du
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e to a lack of mobile broadband coverage or because of other barriers, including a lack of awareness of the internet and its benefits, lack of literacy and the required skills, affordability, lack of perceived relevance, and safety and security concerns. The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2021 highlights trends in the coverage and usage of mobile internet over the last six years and the key barriers to mobile internet adoption. It also looks at the early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest regional changes and the key challenges to address to ensure everyone can connect to the internet." (Executive summary)
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"1. Women’s access to mobile internet continues to increase across low- and middle-income countries, while mobile ownership remains relatively flat: 83 per cent of women own a mobile phone and 58 per cent use mobile internet. Women are also more likely than men to access the internet exclusively o
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n a mobile handset in most of the countries surveyed, which highlights the importance of both increasing mobile access for women, as well as reducing the mobile gender gap. 2. The gender gap in mobile internet use continues to reduce, with women in low- and middle-income countries 15 per cent less likely to use it than men. This reduction has been driven primarily by South Asia where it decreased significantly from 50 per cent in 2019 to 36 per cent in 2020. For the first time, the gender gap in mobile internet use in South Asia is now on par with Sub-Saharan Africa, where the gender gap remains largely unchanged. Across low- and middle- income countries there are still 234 million fewer women than men accessing mobile internet. 3. While the overall gender gap in mobile ownership remains largely unchanged since 2017, the gender gap in smartphone ownership has reduced for the first time since then, driven by South Asia where these gaps have consistently been widest. Across low- and middleincome countries, women are now seven per cent less likely to own a mobile phone, which translates into 143 million fewer women mobile owners than men. Women are also 15 per cent less likely to own a smartphone than men, down from 20 per cent in 2019." (Key findings, page 7)
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"Contrary to optimistic visions of a free internet for all, the problem of the 'digital divide' - the disparity between those with access to internet technology and those without - has persisted for close to twenty-five years. In this textbook, Jan van Dijk considers the state of digital inequality
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and what we can do to tackle it. Through an accessible framework based on empirical research, he explores the motivations and challenges of seeking access and the development of requisite digital skills. He addresses key questions such as: Does digital inequality reduce or reinforce existing, traditional inequalities? Does it create new, previously unknown social inequalities? While digital inequality affects all aspects of society and the problem is here to stay, Van Dijk outlines policies we can put in place to mitigate it." (Back cover)
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"The meaningful connectivity standard is a tool to raise the bar for internet access and set more ambitious policy goals for digital development. It sets minimum thresholds across the four dimensions of internet access that matter most to users. These are: regular internet use - minimum threshold: d
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aily use; an appropriate device - minimum threshold: access to a smartphone; enough data - minimum threshold: an unlimited broadband connection at home or a place of work or study; a fast connection - minimum threshold: 4G mobile connectivity." (Introduction)
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"Afrobarometer findings show that radio and television are the most widely accessible platforms for students seeking to participate in MoE/GES e-learning programs, although rural and poor households are at a disadvantage when it comes to owning these devices. The data show relatively low rates of ac
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cess to the Internet via mobile phone, ownership of computers, and regular use of the Internet, particularly among respondents in rural and poor households, highlighting the difficulties that many students will face in engaging with online learning programs. While most households are connected to the electric grid, more than four in 10 rural and poor households do not have a power supply that works most or all of the time. For both government and civil society, these findings indicate potential learning gaps, as not all students will be able to access e-learning programs from all platforms. This points to the need for strategies to increase students’ participation, particularly targeting rural and poor families, by raising awareness of available televised programs and launching radio-based remote-learning programs as soon as possible. To ensure inclusion and participation in online platforms such as icampus, the government and schools should initiate longer-term plans and investments capable of spreading e-learning infrastructure, irrespective of settlement types and poverty levels, to facilitate access for all students." (Conclusion)
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"On average across 34 countries, one in five adults (20%) have access to both a smartphone and a computer, while 43% only have access to a basic cell phone. In 15 out of 34 countries, at least half of adults have access to a smartphone or a computer or both. About three in 10 respondents (31%) use t
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heir cell phones and the Internet at least several times a week. This form of basic digital literacy is widespread (at least 50% of adults) in Mauritius, Gabon, Tunisia, Sudan, South Africa, and Morocco but rare (10% or less) in Mali, Niger, and Madagascar. One-fifth of adults (20%) are well prepared to participate in or assist members of their household with a transition to an online learning environment. In contrast, 55% are likely to be ill prepared for remote learning, while 25% of respondents form a middle category representing those who could participate in e-learning given sufficient resources such as devices and/or training. Citizens’ readiness to engage in remote learning is primarily shaped by their level of formal education and access to electricity, rather than by their overall level of wealth or geographic location." (Key findings, page 3)
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"Making Open Development Inclusive: Lessons from IDRC Research focuses on the connection between openness and inclusion in global development. It brings together the latest research that cuts across a wide variety of political, economic, and social arenas - from governance to education to entreprene
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urship and more. The chapters draw on empirical evidence from a wide and diverse range of applications of openness, uncovering the many critical and underlying elements that shape and structure how particular openness initiatives and/or activities play out - and critically - who gets to participate, and who benefits [or not] from openness, while exploring the frontiers where openness intersects with deeper challenges of development, technology, and innovation." (Publisher description)
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"There are now more than 3.8 billion mobile internet subscribers globally, representing 49% of the world’s population. However, adoption has not been equitable, with mobile internet adoption standing at 26% in Sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2019. The region accounts for almost half of the global
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population not covered by a mobile broadband network." (Page 1)
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"Facts and Figures 2020 reveals that people in rural areas continue to face greater challenges than people in urban areas in terms of remaining connected during the lockdown, especially in developing economies. Large swathes of the rural landscape are still not covered by mobile broadband networks,
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and fewer households in these areas have access to the Internet. Also worrying, the rollout of communications infrastructure is slowing. Since growth in communications infrastructure deployment was already showing signs of slowing in 2019, it is still too early to tell whether growth has stalled because of the pandemic, or whether there are other factors at play. This new edition of Facts and Figures also finds that mobile cellular subscriptions have been declining for the first time in history, and that growth in mobile broadband subscriptions is levelling out. Here, as before, it is not certain if this a result of the COVID-19 crisis: it will be interesting to see what happens once the world finally reverts to a more normal state of affairs. On a more optimistic note, our research confirms that, where connectivity is available, and affordable, young people are enthusiastic adopters of technology and have relatively high levels of Internet use. While overall just over half of the global population is using the Internet, among young people aged 15 to 24 this rises to almost 70 per cent. This is particularly encouraging in view of the fast-growing youth demographic in much of the developing world, where digital technologies have the potential to become a major accelerator of economic growth and development and an important driver of progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals." (Foreword)
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"The persistent gender gap in mobile access and use is already well documented, as are the significant benefits of closing it. Across low- and middle-income countries today, women are eight per cent less likely than men to own a mobile phone, 20 per cent less likely to use mobile internet and 33 per
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cent less likely to use mobile money. Often, it is those marginalised women who are without access to a mobile phone and all its services who would benefit most from using one. Equipping women with mobiles, bringing them online and enabling them to access a wealth of information and services, including mobile money and mobile internet, can also have a positive impact on their families and communities, and help to achieve many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For the mobile industry, this also makes business sense. We estimate that closing the gender gap in mobile access and use could generate a revenue uplift for the mobile industry of 12 to 37 per cent in a typical low- and middle-income market in Africa, and 11 to 54 per cent in Asia. This guide outlines the practical steps mobile operators can take to reach female customers and realise this opportunity. Drawing on our research and work with operators and other partners across Africa, Asia and Latin America over the last decade, including a recent survey of employees from mobile operating companies (opcos) by Altai Consulting, we have distilled 10 key recommendations for reaching women with mobile. While consideration of the unique local context is crucial, some overarching themes have emerged. Examples are used to illustrate our recommendations, and some in-depth case studies are included in the Appendix." (Introduction, page 6)
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"1. Women with disabilities have among the lowest rates of mobile and smartphone ownership. In most countries, ownership gaps are widest between men without disabilities and women with disabilities. Even in countries where the mobile gender gap is small or nonexistent, there is still a disability ga
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p in mobile ownership.
2. Persons with disabilities perceive mobile as less beneficial than non-disabled persons, and, specifically, women with disabilities perceive benefits the least.
3. Women with disabilities report various barriers to mobile ownership. In Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Uganda, relevance, literacy and skills, and safety and security were among the most commonly reported barriers.
4. In most countries, regardless of gender, persons with disabilities are less aware of mobile internet than those without disabilities. While awareness of mobile internet is lower for women than men, it is even lower for persons with disabilities, except in India. Women with disabilities have the lowest level of awareness.
5. Persons with disabilities tend to have lower levels of internet use than non-disabled persons. Women with disabilities are the least likely to use mobile internet, particularly in India where women are least likely to use mobile internet regardless of disability and the most commonly mentioned barrier to mobile internet is the cost of buying a phone and data." (Key findings)
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"There is a large body of research that has examined digital inequities, inequalities, and divides—i.e., those countries, communities, and individuals digitally left behind or disadvantaged. Whereas we know quite a lot about what is lacking and for whom, there is less focus on what works to allevi
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ate these inequalities and divides in a variety of cultural contexts. This thematic issue brings together scholarship on digital inclusion initiatives and research from over 20 countries and in the context of numerous aspects, including different types of initiatives as well as different types of target audiences for these initiatives. Each article provides unique insights into what does and does not work in various communities, making recommendations on what could be done to improve the examined initiatives. We hope that the breadth and depth of articles presented here will be useful not just for academic audiences seeking to broaden their understanding of digital inclusion and ‘what can be done’ rather than focusing on ‘what is amiss,’ but also for policymakers and digital inclusion initiatives who are eager to expand and advance their digital inclusion work within their communities." (Abstract, page 132)
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"The digital divide in rural areas is an important social issue, especially in developing countries. Although Internet and broadband penetration have increased in the world generally, there are many obstacles for rural China to get access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and its ser
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vices. The mobile platform is regarded as a novel and effective tool to reduce the digital divide. Based on a case of one mobile platform, namely WeCountry in Chinese rural areas, this study illustrates how a mobile platform bridges the digital divide and helps rural areas achieve social inclusion. Results show that: (1) the mobile platform mainly acts on the digital capability divide elimination, and it has to guide and increase users’ usage capability; (2) the mobile platform can empower villagers in structural, psychological, and resource dimensions, achieving political inclusion, social participation inclusion, and economic inclusion; (3) platform providers and government are key organizations during the divide elimination process. This paper concludes with theoretical and practical implications." (Abstract)
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"Specifically, the review focuses on the means, barriers, and associated cybersecurity and privacy concerns that refugees face around connectivity. This includes but is not limited to mobile connectivity and social media, particularly in displacement contexts. While these subjects may at times inter
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sect with parallel conversations on digital identity or biometrics, the latter are not the focus of this chapter. UNHCR provides support and international protection to forcibly displaced persons, including refugees, returnees, stateless people, the internally displaced and asylum-seekers. This report will reference ‘refugees’ and this can be read broadly to encompass refugees and other persons of concern, unless explicity stated otherwise. This literature review is divided into different sub-themes. An annex also provides a brief overview of who are the main actors writing about connectivity in humanitarian contexts, and with what angles and / or interests." (Introduction)
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