Half the world’s population now owns a smartphone, but that is not all…،
Some of you probably remember when smartphones and mobile internet were just the stuff of science fiction. Well, today, in a world that has seen a remarkable evolution in mobile technologies, the impact of smartphones takes center stage, as revealed in the latest report from the GSMA, a global organization at the forefront of the mobile ecosystem. According to the recent GSMA report on The Status of Mobile Internet Connectivity (via Android titles), at the end of 2022, 54% of the world’s population, or 4.3 billion people, owned a smartphone. Furthermore, the report highlights that 57% of the population, or 4.6 billion people, actively use mobile Internet.
Breaking down mobile internet users, a significant portion, nearly 4 billion people (49% of the world’s population), accessed the internet via smartphones. Another segment, approximately 600 million people (8% of the world’s population), depended on feature phones. Interestingly, 350 million smartphone owners have refrained from using mobile internet, revealing the nuances of barriers to internet adoption.
Contrary to the assumption that smartphone owners face fewer obstacles, the GSMA consumer survey revealed some lingering challenges. Barriers included a lack of awareness of mobile internet, perceived irrelevance, lack of digital literacy and skills, safety and security concerns, and issues with network coverage.
Although mobile internet adoption has seen a steady increase, the growth rate has slowed in 2022, with only 200 million new users, compared to 300 million in 2021 and 2020. The majority of this growth comes from countries with low and middle income (LMIC). , where 95% of the unconnected population resides. In least developed countries (LDCs), almost 30 million more people adopted mobile internet in 2022, meaning one in four people in LDCs are connected.
On the other hand, North America emerges as a region with 85% mobile internet coverage and 93% of individuals aged 18 and above actively use it.
It is worth noting that 5% of the world’s population still lacks mobile broadband coverage, affecting almost 400 million people. These gaps exist primarily in rural, poor, and sparsely populated areas, presenting significant challenges in bridging the digital divide.
Of the 3.4 billion people still not connected to mobile internet, nearly 90% (3 billion) live in areas already covered by mobile broadband but do not use this service. Even though the usage gap is slowly narrowing, from 40% in 2021 to 38% in 2022, it is still nearly eight times larger than the coverage gap.
To learn more, at the end of 2022, 69% of smartphones used by mobile Internet users were 4G compatible, 17% were 5G compatible and 14% were limited to 3G, a notable drop from 31% in 2018.
On top of all these numbers (I love numbers and I hope you do too!), a recent study found that the latest list of the world’s top 10 best-selling smartphones includes four iPhones and six Samsungs.
