The GSM Association’s (GSMA) 2023 Mobile Internet Connectivity Report highlights that 55% of the world’s population, approximately 4.3 billion people, now own smartphones. Out of 4.6 billion mobile internet users, 4 billion access the internet through smartphones.
However, regional disparities in mobile connectivity are evident, with 69% of smartphone users in North America, East Asia & Pacific having 4G-enabled devices, while many in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa still rely on 3G connectivity, according to Mobile World Live via GSMArena.
Despite the significant growth in mobile internet use, around 3.4 billion people remain unconnected. In fact, 38% of people globally live in areas with mobile broadband access but don’t use it, with Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia facing particularly high connectivity gaps at 59% and 52%, respectively.
An additional notable finding is that 600 million people, or 8% of the global population, still use feature phones to access the internet.
Barriers to expanding mobile internet users further include digital skills, literacy, safety concerns, and the availability of relevant content, which hinder smartphone users from fully utilising their devices for internet access.
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, emphasises that this lack of connectivity disproportionately impacts poorer, less educated, rural, and female users, especially in the face of rising living costs and climate-related emergencies.
He calls for an acceleration of digital inclusion and the removal of barriers to prevent the digital divide from widening further.
