Mobile internet is becoming accessible to more and more people every year, with the number of people using mobile broadband increasing to 460 crores by the end of 2022.
According to “The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2023” by GSMA, the non-profit organisation representing mobile network operators worldwide, 57 per cent (around 460 crore) of the world’s population are now using mobile internet. Still, the adoption rate has slowed down in the last year.
The report also states that despite having connectivity, 38 per cent of the total population is living in areas where mobile internet is available but are not using the service.
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In the countries that were surveyed, mobile users who had internet access said the major reasons they weren’t able to access the internet were the affordability of handsets, lack of literacy and digital skills. While more than 80 per cent of the popular is aware of mobile internet, the report suggests the figures are particularly lower for women and those living in rural areas.
While 4G and 5G services seem to be expanding rapidly, 2G and 3G still account for the majority of traffic, especially in low to middle-income countries. While 90 per cent of Earth’s population is covered by 4G, around 32 per cent have 5G coverage, with three-quarters of the 5G network expansion rate contributed by South Asia alone.
If we look at South Asia, almost 1oo crore people covered by mobile internet are not using mobile broadband while 8 crore are in areas where mobile internet is unavailable. The number of connected people stands at 84 crore. According to the Mobile Connectivity Index, the top country in South Asia last year was India, with 99 per cent of the population covered by mobile internet, out of which 60 per cent had a mobile broadband connection.