\n This divide carries a hefty economic price. Closing the usage gap could unlock an additional $3.5 trillion in GDP globally by 2030. For low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), bridging the gender gap in mobile internet use alone would add another $1.3 trillion to their economies.\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Crisis of Affordability<\/p>\n
\n According to the report, the single greatest barrier preventing people from getting online is the prohibitive cost of an internet-enabled handset. Across LMICs, an entry-level phone costs an average of 16% of a person’s monthly income.\n <\/p>\n
\n This crisis is most severe in Sub-Saharan Africa. For the poorest 20% of the population in the region, an entry-level device costs a staggering 87% of their monthly income. This single factor keeps the digital world far out of reach for millions. The report identifies a key tipping point: a device priced at $30 could make handsets affordable for up to 1.6 billion people globally.\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n The report provides several recommendations for helping more people use the mobile internet. The key suggestions include:\n <\/p>\n
Improve Affordability: The cost of both phones and data plans should be lower. This includes creating new ways for people to pay for devices, such as payment plans.<\/p>\n
Invest in Digital Skills: Initiatives should focus on teaching people the skills needed to use the internet safely and with confidence.<\/p>\n
Build a Safer Internet: It is important to create systems that protect users from online risks like scams and fraud. This helps build the trust needed for more people to go online.<\/p>\n
Foster Relevant Content: The report recommends supporting the creation of local websites, services, and apps in local languages that are useful for people’s daily lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report from the GSMA highlights a significant paradox in Sub-Saharan Africa’s digital transformation. While the region…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8943,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[85,123,46,125],"class_list":{"0":"post-8942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-internet","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}