In LDCs, 17% rural populations live with no mobile coverage: Study

In least developed countries (LDCs), 17 percent of the rural population live in areas with no mobile coverage at all, says a new report released today by The International Telecommunication Union.

According to the report titled Measuring Digital Development: Facts and figures 2020, 19 percent of the rural population is covered by only a 2G network, reads a press release.

Furthermore, according to 2019 data, globally about 72 percent of households in urban areas has access to the internet at home, almost twice as much as in rural areas (38 percent).

The research reveals that about a quarter of the population in least developed countries and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), and about 15 percent of the population in small island developing states (SIDS) do not have access to a mobile-broadband network.

"How much longer can we tolerate the significant gap in household connectivity between urban and rural areas?" said Houlin Zhao, secretary-general of ITU.

"In the age of Covid-19, where so many are working and studying from home, this edition of Measuring Digital Development: Facts and figures sends the clear message that accelerating infrastructure roll-out is one of the most urgent and defining issues of our time," he added.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, said, "This edition of Measuring Digital Development: Facts and figures is released at a challenging time as Covid-19 wreaks havoc on lives, societies and economies around the world." 

"For the first time, our research contains estimates of the connectivity status of small island developing states and landlocked developing countries, in addition to least developed countries: this is a very important milestone in our efforts to achieve sustainable development for all," she said.

Slower infrastructure roll-out and other barriers to internet use 

The latest ITU data demonstrate that the roll-out of mobile-broadband networks has been slowing in 2020.

Between 2015 and 2020, 4G network coverage doubled globally and almost 85 percent of the global population will be covered by a 4G network at the end of 2020.

Yet, annual growth has been slowing down gradually since 2017, and 2020 coverage is only 1.3 percentage points higher than 2019.

In addition to infrastructure roll-out, the digital gender divide, lack of digital skills and affordability continue to be major barriers to meaningful participation in a digital society, especially in the developing world where mobile telephony and internet access remain too expensive for many.

Internet use prevalent among youth 

Not surprisingly, internet use is consistently more widespread among young people, irrespective of region or level of development.

Whereas just over half of the total global population is using the internet, the proportion of internet use increases to almost 70 percent among young people aged 15-24 years. 

In LDCs, 38 percent of youths are using the internet, whereas the overall share of people using it, including youths, stands at 19 percent.

In developed countries, virtually all young persons are using the internet, while the highest youth/overall ratio is present in Asia and the Pacific.