The GSMA revealed 3.4 billion people did not use mobile internet services in 2024 despite the vast majority living in areas where network coverage was available, with familiar issues of device cost and lack of relevant content cited as barriers.   

In its latest State of Mobile Internet Connectivity report, the association found an additional 200 million people used mobile internet services during 2024. This took the number connected using their own device to 4.7 billion, around 58 per cent of the global population.   

This left 3.4 billion unconnected to mobile internet services, with 3.1 billion of these located in areas where coverage was available.

Key barriers cited in the report include device affordability, awareness, digital skills, literacy, security fears and a lack of access to consistent electricity.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath said although “the digital divide” and “connect the unconnected” had “been on the agenda for well over a decade, the time has come to drive more meaningful progress”.

“A device at $30 could make handsets affordable to up to 1.6 billion people who are currently priced out of connecting to available mobile internet coverage.”

“To produce this will require a concerted, collaborative effort between the mobile industry, device manufacturers, policy makers, financial institutions and more, but it is a responsibility we all must shoulder.”

To this end, in 2024 the GSMA formed the Handset Affordability Coalition. It is backed by mobile operators, vendors, device players, international organisations and finance institutions.

The GSMA noted across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the affordability of internet-enabled entry-level devices had barely budged since 2021 and amounted to 16 per cent of the average monthly income for individuals in those countries.

This increases to 48 per cent of pay for the poorest 20 per cent.

The GSMA stated in LMICs, mobile is the primary and often only way of accessing the internet. Individuals in these countries account for 93 per cent of the global unconnected, with usage rates lower among those in rural areas and for women.

Although highlighting continued issues with getting the unconnected online, the association acknowledged work to extend coverage into previously unserved areas.

During 2024, an additional 40 million people were covered by mobile internet infrastructure, the majority in Sub-Saharan Africa.