Document detail

Advancing meaningful connectivity: towards active and participatory digital societies

Washington, DC: Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI); World Wide Web Foundation (2022), 27 pp.
"This report advances the Meaningful Connectivity framework as a way to support more inclusive societies and strengthen digital economies. It measures the gap in the number of people with just basic internet access and those with meaningful connectivity and examines what this digital divide means for people’s online experiences. The framework focuses on four pillars: 4G-like speeds, smartphone ownership, daily use, and unlimited access at a regular location, like home, work, or a place of study. This report looks at nine low and middle income countries (Colombia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa), using mobile phone surveys to estimate the number of people with meaningful connectivity in each. We found that, on average, only one in ten people in these countries have meaningful connectivity. This compares with just under half who have basic internet access, by latest official figures." (Executive summary, p.3)
Contents
Executive summary, 3
Internet access defined the pandemic, 5
The post-Covid broadband policy agenda: aiming for meaningful connectivity, 7
Mobile surveys to measure meaningful connectivity, 9
Results: meaningful connectivity remains beyond the means of many, 12
The meaningfully connected experience a range of social and personal benefits, 15
Meaningful connectivity can help governments accelerate their achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, 20
Annex 1: Sampling plan details, 21
Annex 2: Survey production statistics, by country, 25
Annex 3: Connectivity gaps and calculation methods, 26