打破壁垒：用相关内容、产品和服务弥合数字鸿沟

Breaking Barriers:Bridging the Digital Divide with Contents Background and Context Bridging the relevance gap inmobile internet adoption Advancing Relevance: Examples 1.Create an environment for digital businessesto thrive 2.Enable the digital transformation of priority sectorsand SMEs 3.Facilitate the growth of startup ecosystem 4.Accelerate the digitalisationof public services 5.Ensure that digital public services are developedto meet the needs of women 6.Support the development of simplified designs andaccessibility features for persons with low literacy Background and Context In 2021, the GSMA released the policy brief “Accelerating mobileinternet adoption Policy considerations to bridge the digital divide inlow- and middle-income countries”, which examined the five barriers •Affordability:Inability to afford internet-enabled handsetsand other costs beyond ownership such as data plans and •Digital literacy and skills:Lack of awareness and understandingof mobile internet, its benefits and uses, as well as lack of literacy, •Safety and security:Concerns about the negative aspects andrisks of the internet, including issues such as harassment, identity •Relevance (outlined in the policy brief as “relevant content andservices”):Lack of relevant content, products and services that •Fundamental enablers (outlined in the policy brief as “access”):Lack of access to networks and enablers, such as electricity,formal ID, devices, customer service touch points (e.g. agents), Building on that foundation, this complementary report – Bridging theDigital Divide with Relevant Content, Products and Services – focusesspecifically on the relevance barriers. It serves as a guide, translatingthe recommendations set out in the policy brief into practical insightsand real-world examples from across regions. This report is designed Policy Recommendations To Advance Relevant Content,Products and Services: Framework For Action 2.Assess and benchmark the digital maturity of industries and enable the digitaltransformation of priority sectors and SMEs. 3.Facilitate the growth of startup ecosystems by improving access to funding,training and professional services, as well as improving the ease of doing business. 4.Accelerate the digitalisation of public services by developing mobile-firststrategies to deliver online services that meet user needs and capabilities and 5.Ensure that digital public services are developed to meet the needs of women. 6.Support the development of simplified designs and accessibility features forpersons with low literacy and disability. Bridging the relevance gap inmobile internet adoption Although lack of relevance is not always the mostfrequently reported barrier to mobile internetadoption and use, it continues to be a decisivefactor keeping many people offline1. Accessible,meaningful and locally relevant content is whatmakes the internet useful in people’s everyday livesand, without it, adoption and regular use are lesslikely. Relevance also shapes other key drivers,such as willingness to pay: if people do not seeclear value in being connected, they are unlikely tospend scarce resources on data or devices2. This usefulness or value in their daily lives4.In high-income countries, internet use is generallyunderpinned by a mature ecosystem of digitalservices – spanning e-commerce, online banking,government portals and local media – all offered inwidely spoken national languages. As a result, thelack of suitable content is rarely identified as themain obstacle to adoption. Instead, those whoremain offline are more likely to cite a lack ofpersonal need or interest. For instance, Eurostatdata show that among EU households without platforms, such as social media, digital paymenttools, or educational apps, are tailored to localcontexts can significantly improve perceptions ofrelevance and boost adoption10. Achieving this atscale, however, requires sustained investment inthe local ecosystems that create, localise anddistribute content aligned with the needs of of benefits for groups such as seniors and thosewith low digital confidence. Evidence fromGermany and Hungary shows that manye-government portals, for example, are notdesigned with older users in mind. By adaptinginterfaces to seniors’ cognitive and physical needs, governments can ensure that online services aregenuinely inclusive7.The relevance gap in LMICs is more structural.Many of these countries are linguistically diverse,yet the vast majority of online content isconcentrated in a handful of global languages. Asof mid-2025, nearly half (49.2%) of all web contentwas in English, while widely spoken languages suchas Hindi, Swahili, or Filipino accounted for only a A further issue is the shortage of locally-produceddigital content and services that reflect people’srealities, cultural contexts and daily needs. Thisdeepens the relevance gap in many communities.Locally-created content is far more likely to resonatewith users and e