November 29, 1404 at 12:33
According to data published by the Iernational Telecommunication Union, about 2.2 billion people living in low- and middle-income couries do not have access to the Iernet.
According to the evaluations published by the Iernational Telecommunication Union (ITU), the year 2025 is considered a turning poi in the expansion of global Iernet access. During this year, more than 240 million people joined the group of online users for the first time, which brought the total number of global network users to 6 billion people. This remarkable achieveme clearly shows the coinuous and impressive progress in expanding communication infrastructure and increasing digital coverage around the world.
However, persiste disparities in the three key areas of connection quality, affordability of Iernet services, and the level of digital skills among the population have become a serious obstacle. These limitations effectively deprive billions of people from fully and comprehensively benefiting from the poteial of digital technologies and deepen the digital divide. In this regard, this iernational union has estimated that a figure equal to 2.2 billion people of the world’s population are completely deprived of access to the Iernet, and the overwhelming majority of these people live in low- and middle-income couries.
Unequal access to the Iernet and the digital divide in the world
Following the published reports that poied to the significa growth of Iernet users and reaching the figure of 6 billion people in 2025, the Iernational Telecommunication Union has revealed deeper and more worrying dimensions of digital inequalities by publishing its new analysis. In a situation where advanced technologies such as artificial ielligence have increasingly infiltrated people’s lives, the lack of access to the Iernet by 2.2 billion people in the world still acts as a serious alarm.
This huge gap highlights the need for special atteion and extensive investme in the developme of stable and strong digital infrastructure, providing communication services at affordable prices and in accordance with people’s economic power, as well as improving the level of skills and digital literacy. Dirin Bogdan Martin, Secretary General of the Iernational Telecommunication Union, has emphasized in a stateme that in a world where digital technologies have turned from a luxury tool io an esseial part of everyday life, all people should have an equal opportunity to enjoy the couless benefits of being online without exception.
He poied out that the definition of today’s digital divide is no longer limited to having or not having access, but also includes more complex dimensions such as connection speed, reliability and stability of the network, cost-effectiveness, and most importaly, the skills necessary to use technology effectively.
A rece ITU report specifically emphasizes the widening quality gaps caused by the uneven deployme of advanced mobile technologies, especially the fifth generation (5G). For the first time, this iernational organization has provided an accurate estimate of the total number of 5G subscriptions, which shows that there are currely about 3 billion people They use 5G iernet services all over the world. This figure is equivale to almost a third of all high-speed mobile iernet subscriptions.
But this statistic has another side and despite predictions that 5G networks will cover up to 55% of the world’s population, access to this technology is still extremely unequal and unbalanced. For example, in high-income couries, 5G coverage reaches 84 perce of the population, indicating nearly universal access to this advanced technology. On the other hand, in low-income couries, this amou of coverage falls to only 4%.
Statistics 8 times more data consumption in rich couries
According to the Iernational Telecommunication Union report, digital inequalities are not only limited to basic access, but also manifest themselves in usage patterns and data consumption rates. The report shows that a typical user in high-income couries consumes nearly eight times more mobile data on average than a user in low-income couries. This huge difference not only indicates less access to high-speed iernet in low-income areas, but also indicates that even if it is available, the quality, speed and capacity of iernet usage in these areas is much lower.
This comprehensive review also emphasizes that the affordability of iernet services and the level of digital skills are still two fundameal and significa obstacles to the realization of universal and equitable access to the iernet. While we have seen a relative decrease in the average price of a high-speed mobile iernet package in rece years, this price decrease has not been the same for all regions. In about 60% of low- and middle-income couries, access to the Iernet remains inaccessible to a significa part of the population due to high costs.
The digital world is waiting for advanced skills
In addition, the Iernational Telecommunication Union report also looks at the state of digital skills around the world and shows that the vast majority of Iernet users currely have only basic digital skills. Meanwhile, more advanced and critical capabilities, such as online safety and security, the ability to solve problems through digital tools, and digital coe creation skills, are developing at a much slower pace.
Referring to these challenges, Kosmas Lakisson Zavazawa, director of the Telecommunication Developme Office of the Iernational Telecommunication Union, emphasized that reliable and accurate data is a fundameal and necessary eleme for formulating effective and efficie digital policies. He stated that these data will help planners to ideify gaps and design appropriate strategies to achieve a shared vision of global connectivity. He poied out that sustained and targeted efforts in the three key areas of infrastructure developme, skills upgrading, and improving data collection and analysis systems are critical to ensure that no one is left behind in digital progress.
Differences in Iernet access based on national income and gender
The report also delves deeper io the close relationship of digital developme with economic, gender and locational factors. The findings indicate that iernet usage has reached 94% of the population in high-income couries, while this figure drops to only 23% in low-income couries. In terms of gender, the report shows that men are generally more connected to the Iernet than women; So that 77% of men are online compared to 71% of women.
This gender gap can be much deeper in some regions of the world. In terms of location, urban populations have a much higher rate of iernet connectivity at 85%, while only 58% of rural resides are online. Finally, based on information published by Anatolia news agency, the ITU report shows that young people are significaly more connected to the Iernet, with 82 perce of 15-24-year-olds using the Iernet, compared to 72 perce for other age groups.
