…Rising smartphone costs in developing nations identified as a major barrier
Despite mobile internet coverage reaching 96 percent of the global population, 3.1 billion people remain offline, with rising smartphone costs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) identified as a major barrier, according to the GSMA’s ‘The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025’ report.
While the infrastructure to connect nearly the entire world is in place, affordability issues continue to widen the digital divide, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
The GSMA highlights a significant usage gap, noting that 3.1 billion people live in areas with mobile network coverage but do not use it. Of these, around 2 billion lack an internet-enabled device, while the remaining third own a device but cannot or do not use it for data services due to factors like high costs, lack of awareness, or insufficient digital skills.
The report underscores that device affordability, long a challenge, has stagnated, with handset prices creeping upward.
In LMICs, the cost of an entry-level internet-enabled smartphone rose to $54 in 2024, a $4 increase from the previous year. This price represents just under 16 percent of average monthly income in these regions, hovering near the GSMA’s affordability threshold of 15 percent to 20 percent. However, only 57 percent of LMICs had a handset available below the 20 percent mark last year, limiting access for millions.
The GSMA estimates that a $30 device could make mobile internet affordable for up to 1.6 billion people in areas with existing coverage.
“To produce this will require a concerted, collaborative effort between the mobile industry, device manufacturers, policymakers, financial institutions, and more. It is a responsibility we all must shoulder,” said Vivek Badrinath, GSMA director general.
Beyond device costs, other barriers persist. The GSMA points to lack of awareness about mobile internet, limited literacy or digital skills, and concerns over security and relevance as significant hurdles. These issues are particularly pronounced in Africa and the Middle East, where many potential users remain disconnected despite available networks.
The report calls for innovative solutions to bridge the gap, including flexible data pricing, increased device financing options, and supportive tax policies. Targeted subsidies could further promote the uptake of internet-enabled devices and data services, ensuring more people benefit from connectivity.
Read also: 5G connections growing faster than any previous mobile technology — GSMA
On a positive note, global mobile internet adoption is growing. The GSMA reports that 4.7 billion people, representing 58 percent of the world’s population, now use mobile internet on their own devices, with 200 million new users added in 2024, marking the fastest growth since 2021.
An additional 710 million people access mobile internet through shared or borrowed devices. Over 80 percent of mobile internet subscribers use 4G or 5G smartphones, with 5G adoption rising rapidly. Investment in 5G networks has surged, covering 54 percent of the global population or 4.4 billion people, with 700 million gaining access last year.
However, the benefits of advanced networks remain unevenly distributed. While 96 percent of the world has mobile coverage, four percent, approximately 300 million people, lack access entirely. The focus, therefore, has shifted to closing the usage gap. “Removing the remaining barriers is essential to ensuring existing digital divides are reduced rather than deepened. Many more of these 3.1 billion people can benefit from life-changing connectivity,” Badrinath emphasized.
The GSMA’s findings highlight a critical challenge, in that, as the mobile industry pushes cutting-edge technologies like 5G, affordability and accessibility must keep pace to avoid leaving billions behind. Without action on device costs, data pricing, and digital literacy, the digital divide will persist, limiting the transformative potential of mobile internet in developing nations.
Royal Ibeh
Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.
