TheStateofMobileInternetConnectivity2022 Copyright©2022GSMA THESTATEOFMOBILEINTERNETCONNECTIVITY2022 GSMA TheGSMAisaglobalorganisationunifyingthemobileecosystemtodiscover,developanddeliverinnovationfoundationaltopositivebusinessenvironmentsandsocietalchange.Ourvisionis tounlockthefullpowerofconnectivitysothatpeople,industryandsocietythrive.Representingmobileoperatorsandorganisationsacrossthemobileecosystemandadjacentindustries,theGSMAdeliversforitsmembersacrossthreebroadpillars:ConnectivityforGood,IndustryServicesandSolutions,andOutreach.Thisactivityincludesadvancingpolicy,tacklingtoday’sbiggestsocietalchallenges,underpinningthetechnologyandinteroperabilitythatmakemobilework,andprovidingtheworld’slargestplatformtoconvenethemobileecosystemattheMWCandM360seriesofevents. Weinviteyoutofindoutmoreatgsma.comFollowtheGSMAonTwitter:@GSMA GSMAIntelligenceisthedefinitivesourceofglobalmobileoperatordata,analysisandforecasts,andpublisherofauthoritativeindustryreportsandresearch.Ourdatacoverseveryoperatorgroup,networkandMVNOineverycountryworldwide –fromAfghanistantoZimbabwe.Itisthemostaccurateandcompletesetofindustrymetricsavailable,comprisingtensofmillionsofindividualdatapoints,updateddaily. GSMAIntelligenceisreliedonbyleadingoperators,vendors,regulators,financialinstitutionsandthird-partyindustryplayers, tosupportstrategicdecision-makingandlong-terminvestmentplanning.Thedataisusedasanindustryreferencepointandisfrequentlycitedbythemediaandbytheindustryitself. Ourteamofanalystsandexpertsproduceregularthought-leadingresearchreportsacrossarangeofindustrytopics. www.gsmaintelligence.cominfo@gsmaintelligence.com GSMAConnectedSociety TheConnectedSocietyprogrammeworkswiththemobileindustry,technologycompanies,thedevelopmentcommunityandgovernmentstoincreaseaccesstoandadoptionofmobileinternet,focusingonunderservedpopulationgroupsindevelopingmarkets. Formoreinformation,pleasevisitwww.gsma.com/connected-society TogetintouchwiththeConnectedSocietyteam,pleaseemailconnectedsociety@gsma.com FCDO ThismaterialhasbeenfundedbyUKAidfromtheUKGovernment;however,theviewsexpresseddonotnecessarilyreflecttheUKGovernment’sofficialpolicies. Sida ThisdocumenthasbeenfinancedbytheSwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency,Sida.Sidadoesnotnecessarilysharetheviewsexpressedinthismaterial.Responsibilityforitscontentsrestsentirelywiththeauthor. Authors:AnneDelaporte,KalvinBahia Contributors:IsabelleCarboni,NadiaJeffrie,ClaireSibthorpe,MelleTielGroenestege Published:October2022 Contents Keyfindings4 Introduction8 1.Trendsinmobileinternetconnectivity10 2.Networkcoverageandinfrastructure26 3.Howpeopleareusingmobileinternet34 4.Keybarrierstomobileinternetadoptionanduse39 5.Conclusionandrecommendations58 Appendix1:TheGSMAConsumerSurvey62 Appendix2:Methodologyformeasuringhandset anddataaffordability66 Appendix3:Additionalfigures69 Appendix4:Glossary74 3/76 THESTATEOFMOBILEINTERNETCONNECTIVITY2022 THESTATEOFMOBILEINTERNETCONNECTIVITY2022 Keyfindings 4/76 Keyfindings Mobileinternetusehasreached55%oftheworld'spopulation.Bytheendof2021, 4.3billionpeoplewereusingmobileinternet,anincreaseofalmost300millionsincetheend of2020.Growthinmobileinternetadoptionhasalmostentirelybeendrivenbypeoplelivinginlow-andmiddle-incomecountries(LMICs).Asaresult,forthefirsttime,halfofthepopulationinLMICsisusingmobileinternet. Mobilebroadbandcoveragecontinuestoslowlyexpand,with95%oftheworld’spopulationcoveredbyamobilebroadbandnetwork.Attheendof2021,thecoveragegap–thoselivinginareaswithoutmobilebroadbandcoverage–represented5%oftheworld’spopulation(400millionpeople).Thecoveragegaphasonlyreducedby1percentagepoint(pp)peryearbetween2018and2021,showinghowchallengingitistocovertheremainingpopulation,whoarepredominantlypoorandrural.Intheleastdevelopedcountries(LDCs),morethanoneinsixpeopleliveinareaswithoutmobilebroadbandcoverage. Attheendof2021,therewere3.2billionpeoplelivingwithinthefootprintofamobilebroadbandnetworkbutnotusingmobileinternet.Withnetworkexpansionslowing,mobileinternetadoptionhasbeguntooutpaceincreasesinmobilebroadbandcoverage.Afterremainingrelativelyunchangedbetween2014and2019,theshareofthepopulationlivingwithinthefootprintofamobilebroadbandnetworkbutnotusingmobileinternet(i.e.theusagegap)decreasedfrom45%in2019to40%in2021.However,theusagegapremainssubstantialandisalmosteighttimesthesizeofthecoveragegap. Connectivityvariessignificantlybydifferentsocioeconomicgroupsandbycountryincomelevels,with94%ofthe‘unconnected’living inLMICs.InLMICs,adultsinruralareasarestill33%lesslikelytousemobileinternetthanthoselivinginurbanareas.WomeninLMICsare16%lesslikelytousemobileinternetthanmenandprogressinreducingthemobileinternetgendergaphasstalled.AcrossLMICs,thepoorest20%intermsofincomeare49%lesslikelytoaccesstheinternetthantherichest20%.Attheendof2021,only20%ofthepopulationinLDCswereusingmobileinternet,comparedto55%inotherLMICs(excludingLDCs). Acrossallregions,therearenowmoremobileconnectionsusing3Gor4G/5Gsmartphones thanbasicorfeaturephones.WhileSub-SaharanAfricaandSouthAsiaha