Despite prices for mobile voice, mobile data and fixed-broadband services decreasing steadily around the world, it is not translating into increasing Internet penetration rates, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) suggested.
Globally, telecommunication and information and communication technology services are becoming more affordable; however, affordability is not the only barrier to Internet uptake, ITU’s latest report, ‘Measuring Digital Development: ICT Price Trends 2019’, shows.
Other factors such as low levels of education, lack of relevant content, lack of content in local languages, lack of digital skills and a low-quality Internet connection may also prevent effective Internet use.
“Keeping telecommunication and digital services as affordable as possible has always been important to ensure broader Internet uptake, especially for lower-income households and consumers,” said ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao.
“In the face of Covid-19, this is more vital than ever. People who do not have access to the Internet may not be able to access information about how to protect themselves from coronavirus, telework, learn remotely and connect with families and friends during quarantine.”
The latest statistics from ITU confirm that affordability may not be the only barrier to Internet uptake, and the full potential of digital technologies will not be reached until all citizens are connected.
This requires that all the barriers preventing meaningful connectivity be addressed, added ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau director Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
Meanwhile, the report found that entry-level mobile voice baskets remain broadly affordable in most countries.
In 70 countries, a low-use mobile voice plan was available for less than 1% of gross national income (GNI) per capita, and in a further 37 countries it stood below 2%.
The report also showed that the global average price of a 1.5 GB mobile data basket decreased from 8.4% of GNI per capita in 2013 to 3.2% in 2019, at a compound annual growth rate of almost -15%.
When expressed in dollars, the global average price of a mobile data basket of at least 1.5 GB dropped by 7% on average a year between 2013 and 2019.
Further, good progress has been made towards the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development's target of achieving affordable broadband costing 2% to 5% of GNI per capita by 2025.
Fixed-broadband packages remain generally more expensive than mobile-data packages, the report noted, explaining that, over the past four years, the affordability of fixed-broadband has not changed substantially, but advertised download speeds continue to increase.