In the 21st century, internet access is no longer a luxury, it is a prerequisite for participation in society, the economy, the knowledge. However, billions of people are still left out of the digital world. The question is no longer if there is technology, but how it can reach everyone. According to his details Gsmaout of 3.4 billion people who do not use mobile internet, more than 90% live in areas already covered by networks of mobile broadband but does not use them, the so -called “use gap”. Treating this gap is critical for bridging digital exclusion, but based on current connectivity trends, it will take more than 30 years to completely eliminate it.

Although the use of usage is gradually decreasing, 3.1 billion people, or 38% of the world population, still live in areas with mobile broadband without using it.

The key obstacles to the adoption of the mobile internet include the lack of information on its existence, the inability to obtain a suitable phone and the lack of digital skills. Even among people who are already using mobile internet, many would like to make the most of it, but encounter difficulties, such as concerns about safety and data protection, cost and connectivity experience. The lack of perception of internet utility is also a limited -use factor.

In 96% of the world there is already the necessary infrastructure to connect via a mobile network. The removal of the remaining obstacles in the use of these services is essential, so that existing digital gaps are reduced rather than deeper. So many more than these 3.1 billion people can benefit from life -changing connectivity, says Vivek Badrinath, GSMA General Manager.

Connectivity has already changed the landscape. More people than ever connect to the internet via mobile, with 58% of the world population now being online from its own device. In low and medium -income countries, mobile remains the main and often the only way of accessing the internet, representing 84% of broadband in 2024. However, while 4% of the world’s population remains out of coverage, 38% is in coverage but out of use. The groups that are most excluded are the poorest, the least educated, rural populations, women and people with disabilities, that is, those who could benefit more than connectivity.

The benefits of closing these gaps are huge. The mobile internet opens ways to health, education, financial services and e -commerce, increasing income, reducing poverty and improving prosperity. From 2023 to 2030, the elimination of the use gap could add $ 3.5 trillion to world GDP, of which 1.3 trillion only from the closure of the gender gap.

In 2024 it recorded the largest increase in new users by 2021, with 200 million people being connected for the first time. However, billions remain offline. The use gap is now ten times larger than the coverage gap, and its treatment is decisive to connect excluded. In an increasingly digital world, securing universal and meaningful connectivity is more urgent than ever, says Kalvin Bahia, Senior Director of Economics, GSMA Intelligence.