By the end of 2025, 59% of the global population was using mobile internet. Mobile remains the primary means of internet access in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), accounting for 84% of broadband connections. However, growth is slowing: only around 160 million new mobile internet users came online in 2025, fewer than in previous years, while gaps linked to gender, income and geography persist.
The challenge is no longer the coverage gap, but the usage gap
The report underscores that network deployment is no longer the main obstacle to connectivity. The global coverage gap has fallen to just 3% of the world’s population, and more than 90% of people who remain unconnected already live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network.
By contrast, the usage gap affects 38% of the global population, roughly 3.1 billion people who live in areas covered by mobile networks but do not use mobile internet. The main challenge is no longer extending network coverage, but removing the structural barriers that prevent people from making effective use of available connectivity.
Significant digital inequalities persist
Access to mobile internet remains uneven. Women, rural populations, people with lower levels of education, persons with disabilities and low-income households continue to face the greatest connectivity barriers.
Gender and income are the most significant factors behind lack of access. Ninety-two percent of disconnected individuals live in LMICs, and women account for 58% of the adult usage gap while being 12% less likely than men to use mobile internet.
The urban-rural divide also persists: adults living in rural areas are 28% less likely to be connected than those in urban areas.
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least connected region in the world, with a 66% usage gap and a 9% coverage gap, compared with 21% and 1%, respectively, in Europe and Central Asia. Nevertheless, low growth in mobile internet adoption was observed across all regions in 2025, with global user growth of just 1%, below previous years’ levels.
Affordability emerges as the primary constraint
The report identifies device affordability as the most important barrier to further mobile internet adoption. Seventy percent of people in the usage gap do not own a mobile device, and for the poorest segments of LMIC populations, the cost of a basic smartphone still represents a substantial share of monthly income.
This challenge is being exacerbated by rising memory prices, driven in part by growing demand from AI-related technologies such as data centres. This trend is increasing smartphone costs and threatens to slow progress in digital inclusion. During the second quarter of 2026 alone, memory prices rose by between 80% and 90%.
As these increases disproportionately affect consumers in highly price-sensitive markets, they risk becoming a significant obstacle to smartphone adoption in regions where they are needed most.
Connectivity is a prerequisite for development
The report reinforces the economic and social importance of connectivity. Digital infrastructure underpins the modern economy, and mobile internet facilitates access to healthcare, education, financial services, e-commerce and employment opportunities.
As societies undergo profound transformations driven by artificial intelligence and other digital technologies, those unable to participate risk being left behind. Ensuring access for as many people as possible is therefore essential to prevent widening inequalities linked to gender, income and geography. The potential benefits are substantial: GSMA estimates that closing the usage gap between 2023 and 2030 could generate an additional US$3.5 trillion in global GDP.
Brazil: from coverage to meaningful usage
Brazil clearly illustrates this transition. More than 94% of the population is covered by 4G or higher networks, and 4G services are available in all 5,570 municipalities nationwide. While some challenges remain in rural and remote areas, the coverage gap is relatively small compared with the adoption challenge: 26% of the population lives in covered areas but does not use mobile internet, while only 6% lives in areas without coverage.
The main barriers relate to the affordability of devices and services, compounded by a high tax burden, low incomes among a significant share of the population, and insufficient digital skills. To address these challenges, Brazil should reduce taxes on the telecommunications sector and mobile devices, expand digital literacy programmes, and make more strategic use of the Fundo de Universalização dos Serviços de Telecomunicações (FUST), prioritising projects that promote meaningful connectivity, especially among low-income populations and in regions with high levels of inequality.
Public policy recommendations
Based on its findings, the report calls for action and recommends that policymakers:
– Prioritise closing the usage gap by increasing adoption among populations already covered by networks.
– Improve device affordability through lower taxes and tariffs on smartphones, competitive markets and innovative financing mechanisms.
– Strengthen digital skills and citizen readiness through digital literacy programmes, particularly for women, rural communities and older people.
– Promote relevant digital services, including local-language content, digital public services and trustworthy digital ecosystems that increase the perceived value of internet access.
– Maintain investment-friendly connectivity policies through predictable regulatory frameworks and efficient spectrum allocation.
– Address structural inclusion gaps through targeted measures aimed at reducing gender, income and rural connectivity inequalities.
Conclusion
The report’s core message is clear: the global connectivity challenge is increasingly a problem of adoption rather than coverage. While mobile broadband networks already reach the vast majority of the world’s population, billions of people remain excluded due to affordability constraints, digital skills deficits and broader socioeconomic barriers.
Closing the usage gap will require coordinated action by governments, regulators, industry and development organisations to ensure that digital participation is affordable, accessible and meaningful for all. The upcoming ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) represents an opportunity to strengthen global commitment to reducing the usage gap.
