That means the digital divide is widening as the global pandemic has accelerated the emergence of digital societies and smartphones are increasingly an essential gateway to access public services – including education and medical support – financial services, jobs and to run businesses.4Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone Group, said: “Vodafone is honoured to be part of this monumental global initiative with the UN, to improve the lives of billions of people through smartphone access. Yet billions of people continue to use ‘dumb’ feature phones, without an internet connection, and the 2G market continues to grow. Accelerated use of digital public services during the pandemic, mobile money, and the need for digital skills for jobs has made mobile internet access through a smartphone more important than ever.UNGA, New York, Septem-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- A major new initiative has been launched by Vodafone Group Plc and ITU, the United Nations’ specialised agency for information and communication technologies, to address the global digital divide, with the aim that an additional 3.4 billion people could have the ability to access and use the internet through a smartphone by 2030.With mobile broadband (4G) networks now covering 82% of the population of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), the mobile usage gap is 6x larger than the mobile coverage gap.2In line with the Broadband Commission Global Targets 2025 on affordability and connectivity, the new Working Group will identify policy, commercial and circular-economy interventions to increase smartphone access.Co-chaired by Vodafone Group CEO, Nick Read, and ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, the Group’s launch partners also include: the Alliance for Affordable Internet GSMA the government of Ghana Safaricom Smart Africa Vodacom Group and the World Wide Web Foundation.Mobile accounts for 86% of connections to the internet in LMICs3, emphasising the importance of mobile in addressing this issue. Of the 3.7 billion people not connected to the internet, 3.4 billion live within range of mobile networks but are currently not accessing the internet, partly due to a lack of smartphone ownership1.For all mobile broadband devices - tablets, Pocket WiFi and Vodems (USB sticks) - we recommend signing in to My Vodafone to check your usage, manage your account -
Smartphone access is a key element of this in low- and middle-income countries where mobile is the principal route to the internet. I am pleased to co-chair this newly established Working Group, which will also help address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure that we put smart devices in the hands of those who are left behind.”Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, said: “The UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation aims to achieve universal connectivity by 2030. As Vodacom works to connect the next 100 million African people through its Africa.Connected campaign, we look forward to supporting Vodafone’s ambition to ensure that no one is excluded from the global digital economy, and may enjoy access to education, jobs, public and financial services.”Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the ITU, said: “Achieving the Broadband Commission Global Targets requires a multi-stakeholder approach. The pledge by the United Nations, Vodafone Group Plc and the ITU to increase smartphone access for 3.4 billion people around the world is timely and important. This is such a complex challenge that no network operator, device manufacturer, financial services provider or national government can solve on their own – but working together we can break through the barriers.”Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group said: “We are aware of the many different socio-economic complexities and dynamics which continue to prevent universal digital access in modern society, which should be a right and not a privilege.
Vodafone Group has committed to launch two pilot projects on device affordability as part of this process.“This partnership is key to expand access to the internet,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. analysis of initiatives or pilots designed to increase smartphone access. quantification of the social and economic impact of providing everyone with smartphone access by 2030, including assessment of moving users from 2G feature phones to 4G smartphones and original analysis and data on the smartphone access gap Addressing the mobile internet usage gap is vital for the long-term economic development of my country and many others across the world and will require new partnerships and focused action from a range of organisations.”The Broadband Commission Working Group will produce a report and set of concrete recommendations including:
Providing targeted financing for underserved demographics – Programmes need to take account of, and target, the large gender gap and rural-urban gap that exist in respect of device ownership in sub-Saharan Africa.4. The report suggests increasing financing and support for digital start-ups and that device manufacturers could create more inclusive products.3. Invest in the demand for 4G services – 375 million young Africans are expected to enter the labour market by 2030 and will need the skills to excel in a digital economy. Expanding device financing schemes for those with poor or no credit history reducing the amount of tax on 4G smartphone imports and increasing local manufacturing of devices within Africa are suggested as ways to address this issue.2. Making 4G devices more accessible – Nearly 2.5 billion people live in countries where the cost of the cheapest available smartphone is unaffordable. The report, by independent consultancy Caribou Digital, suggests a multi-stakeholder approach with four key steps to enhancing digital inclusion across African nations, where the mobile usage gap is the largest in the world:1.
1.6 billion people globally are now using the internet to improve or monitor their health 2.3 billion people now use mobile financial services and 2 billion people use the internet to access education for themselves or their children. GSMA, 2020, Connected Society: The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2020. GSMA, 2020, Connected Society: The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2020. ITU, 2020, Measuring digital development.
As of 30 June 2021, we had over 300m mobile customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers, over 22m TV customers and we connected 130m IoT devices. We operate mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries and partner with mobile networks in 49 more. Our M-Pesa technology platform in Africa enables 50m people to benefit from access to mobile payments and financial services. Our networks keep family, friends, businesses and governments connected and – as COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated – we play a vital role in keeping economies running and the functioning of critical sectors like education and healthcare.Vodafone is the largest mobile and fixed network operator in Europe and a leading global IoT connectivity provider. Our purpose is to “connect for a better future” enabling an inclusive and sustainable digital society. Our expertise and scale give us a unique opportunity to drive positive change for society.
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