The digital divide is about much more than just digital : my call for a Human Web

Almost half of the world's population doesn't have Internet access.

Based on current trends 40% will still be offline in 2025 and it could take until 2060 for everyone to have Internet access. In Africa, almost 80% of the population does not have Internet access.

We all know about the incredible advances made possible by the development of digital technology. Here are just two examples of life-changing digital services in the developing world.

Mobile money is one of the most striking examples: in Africa, mobile operators are leading the way to financial inclusion. Today, in many sub-Saharan countries the majority of the adult population uses mobile money accounts instead of bank accounts. We are building interoperable systems between our networks such as Mowali in Africa, a joint venture between MTN and Orange that makes it possible to send money between 100 million mobile money accounts at a low cost and without delays. This service, which is available in 22 countries, could eventually benefit more than 300 million customers. Financial inclusion is a powerful tool to fight poverty. It brings together insurance, credit and other economic instruments. But we can and we should go faster to include everyone.

For an African farmer, accessing the Internet is not just about going online. It means knowing how much rice is being sold for, tracking information about rainfall or endemic plant diseases, and finding out when the best time to sow crops is. It can change their life, allowing them to move from subsistence agriculture, increase their production, and sell in a local or global market.

Internet access is the first step towards giving people access to digital services; lack of access is not simply about being unable to access the Internet: it’s a question of the risk these people run of becoming increasingly marginalized from society when it comes to the economy, employment, education, health and democracy.

4 billion people have no Internet access. But there are two very different issues for 800 million of them and for the other 3.2 billion. 

While the reach of Internet, mainly mobile, has expanded significantly in recent years, there is still a “coverage gap” of over 800 million people who live in areas that are not covered by 3G+ networks. But there is a much bigger “usage gap” with more than 3.2 billion people living in areas covered by 3G+ networks but who are not using internet services.

Evidence shows that ¾ of the digital divide is not a coverage issue.

800 million people are not yet covered by any networks. At the end of 2018, 44% of the world’s uncovered population was in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This could be considered “usual telecom business”, but it is not.

Expanding coverage to these populations is above all an economic challenge. Areas without coverage are typically rural zones with low population densities, low per capita income levels, and less developed or non-existent infrastructure. It can cost up to twice as much to deploy new base stations in rural areas, while revenue expectations can be up to 10 times less than in the urban equivalent.

We telecom operators are working to cover most of these areas in efficient ways, to expand the reach of commercially sustainable networks as much as possible by driving down deployment costs through further technical innovation in key areas such as power, backhaul and low-cost base station technologies.

But we cannot do it alone: to make network operations sustainable for the last billion, we need governments to support us by reducing policy and regulatory barriers to deployment, by creating pro-investment environments, and by also considering new sources of financing and models relying on international lenders. The Spectrum New Deal in France is a great example of a partnership between the government and the private sector with clear objectives for better coverage.

The “last billion” is an affordability and economic development issue. A strong partnership between operators, governments and financial institutions is needed for “the 21st Century digital highways” to ensure connectivity as the way to achieve the development goals of fighting poverty, providing quality education, decent work and economic growth.  

Out of the 4 billion people who have no Internet access, 3.2 billion are covered by networks. They are everywhere in developed and developing countries.

In China the usage gap is 41% of the population USA it is 23%. In Europe the usage gap is 26% of the population, in Sub-Saharan Africa it is 41% and it grows to 56% in South Asia.

The “Usage gap” is a strong reminder of the social, cultural and generational divides in our societies.

 If you cannot buy a smartphone, you cannot access Internet. Affordable handsets are a first condition. Available energy is a second condition.  Lack of skills to access services is the third one.

The digital transformation of our societies brings more opportunities for the connected, but makes digital illiteracy the new frontier of inclusion.

Closing the usage gap is a much more complex issue but also a bigger and a shared responsibility.

We believe that enabling a positive and people-focused digital future requires constructive collaboration between stakeholders. governments, the mobile industry, adjacent industries, the development community and international organizations all have a stake in the digital future. We have established our vision of the digital future we want, identifying the common set of outcomes we must all strive for.

As the CEO of Orange, a global operator active in twenty-eight countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, I am striving every day to close this gap and achieve connectivity everywhere. But I am convinced that this is not enough. This is the reason why, this year, I also made a commitment as the Chairman of the Board of GSMA, the worldwide organization of 750 telecom operators. 

The figures tell us that the digital divide is about much more than just digital technology.

I am sharing my belief through GSMA and other forums with leaders from all around the world: together, we can all step up the pace of providing Internet access.

Telecom operators have an enormous responsibility to provide connectivity all over the world and in this regard Orange and the GSMA stand firmly on the side of digital inclusion.

Action on a grand scale has yet to be taken, a global framework on a par with the stakes must be found: connecting the planet will require mobilization not only by private operators but also by suppliers, politicians and states, and international bodies such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the African Union, considering new sources of financing and models relying on international lenders.

So, I am calling on everyone to work together to innovate and explore new ways of connecting the world and overcoming the digital divide.

And let’s be clear, we’re not talking about an act of charity. I’m convinced that the collective benefit that will emerge by enabling several billion people to use the web and by disseminating data will be more than worth the investment required to achieve it.

Let’s ensure we deliver on the promise of a World Wide Human Web!

For me, there is no real innovation without human at its heart!