Bridging the digital divide: The challenge
Author : Joe Barry, Analog Devices
09 January 2023
Share of populations using the internet, 2020
Once, high-speed internet connectivity was considered a luxury. Today, it’s a necessity – an essential tool for education, communications, and business.
Students need internet access to do homework, seniors to televideo with their doctors, and businesses to communicate with customers. Those without high-speed connectivity to the internet via cable, satellite, or wireless 4G and 5G are at a socioeconomic disadvantage, as they are significantly less able to gain new skills, find and apply for jobs, and shop and sell online.
The digital divide: A worldwide problem
The digital divide is the gap between those who have access and connectivity to digital technology with the skills to use the tools – and those who do not. The gap is not limited by any region, country, social, economic, class, race, or gender. Estimates by reliable sources vary, but approximately one-third to a half of the world’s population are caught on the wrong side of the digital divide, disconnected from opportunities and a wide range of essential services that the rest of us rely on and take for granted.
As a global technology company with global concerns, ADI is committed to helping to solve the world’s toughest challenges. Bridging the digital divide is about figuring out how we and our partners can innovate and enable affordable communications technology to reach those who need it most. We are committed to the advancement of this goal, which reinforces our purpose to work for the engineering good.
How widespread is the digital divide?
The statistics are startling. Worldwide, only 55 percent of households have an internet connection, and 1.5 billion individuals reside in areas without high-speed mobile data coverage. People who live in rural and remote areas, women, and the poor are the largest segments without access. The majority of those lacking access live in developing regions of the world, where, in the poorest nations, only 20 percent have a connection.
The gap exists everywhere
Importantly, the digital gap also exists in technologically rich developed nations and urban centres across the globe. 1.75 billion citizens in the world’s eight richest countries (by GDP) remain unconnected – with 34 percent (approximately 600 million people) residing in major urban centres. “We’ve been working with communities in Queens, in the middle of New York City, and seen similar problems in California, right outside of Los Angeles. It’s a problem that affects all geographies, regardless of whether it’s urban, rural, or domestic,” said Justin Dent, Executive Director, Outschool.org, an organisation that brings education to students via the internet.
A complex problem
The digital divide is a complicated issue, entwined in the fabric of societal problems and socioeconomics. It lies at the centre of numerous major issues, ranging from racial inequality, income disparity, and gender bias.
Race
The digital divide reinforces racial inequity. In the US, 80 percent of White adults report having a broadband connection at home, compared to 71 percent of Black adults and 65 percent of Hispanic adults. 63 percent of Black adults compared with 49 percent of White adults say not having high-speed internet is a major disadvantage when it comes to connecting with medical professionals.
Income
Poor neighbourhoods often lack the telecommunications infrastructure available in more affluent ones. These disadvantaged communities are often seen as less attractive for investment by communications companies, further deepening the divide. Roughly, a quarter of individuals in the US with yearly average earnings under $30,000 (24 percent), say they don’t own smartphones. Four out of every ten low-income people (43 percent) do not have home internet or computer access (43 percent).
Percentage of populations with internet access, according to internet portal World Stats data
Access
The digital divide is more than just an infrastructure coverage issue. Some 3.6 billion people in developing countries do not have the necessary devices to access the internet – computers, tablets or internet-ready cell phones. Access to the internet ranges from a high of 76.4 percent for Central Asia, to a low of 14.3 percent for Africa.
Gender
The digital divide affects women disproportionately. The digital gender divide continues to be a barrier to meaningful participation in today’s digital society. According to ITU’s latest data, the proportion of women using the internet globally is 57 percent, compared to 62 percent of men.
Digital literacy
The inability to use digital tools reduces access to important essential services for many people worldwide, including millions of Americans. 70 percent of Black and 60 percent of Hispanic people in the U.S. report being underprepared with digital skills – competencies that affect their employability. Improving digital literacy is key to unlocking social mobility, economic equality, and economic growth for approximately 30 percent of the world. Without these skills, investment in infrastructure expansion alone has a diminished effect.
Cost
The price of connecting can be prohibitive. A one-hour Zoom video call with average internet speed on a mobile plan in the US costs about $4, based on data collected by UK-based research firm Cable UK. However, that same call would cost about $14 using mobile data in Benin and Malawi, both in Africa. Here, the cost impact is even more significant, given the comparatively lower incomes. According to the World Bank, 85 percent of Africans live on less than $5.50 a day. To put it all in perspective, according to the UN, affordable internet is defined as no more than 2 percent of a person’s monthly income per gigabyte of data.
The gap in education
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “The digital divide has especially far-reaching consequences when it comes to education. For children in low-income school districts, inadequate access to technology can hinder them from learning the tech skills that are crucial to success in today’s economy.” It’s a worldwide issue, not limited to just the developing world. For example, only 68 percent of Australian children aged 5 to 14 living in disadvantaged communities have internet access at home, compared to 91 percent of students living in advantaged communities.
Says William Kennard, Former Chair of the FCC, "In a society where increasingly we are defined by access to information and what we earn is what we learn, if you don’t have access to technology, you’re going to be left in the digital dark ages.”
40 percent of schools
The number of K-12 educational institutions in the U.S. that lack connectivity to high-speed broadband.
70 percent of kids
Digital divide's four components
The percentage of children in the Kansas City School District who do not have internet access at home.
50 percent of students
Percentage of students in the U.S. unable to finish their homework due to an inability to connect or find a computer.
59 percent of children from lower-income families in the US faced obstacles in completing assignments, according to the Pew Research Center. Some only had access to a cellphone to complete homework, others needed public WiFi access because of unreliable service in the home, and many lacked access to a computer at home (21 percent).
The economic cost and opportunity
“Those who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide suffer further economic, social, health, and political disparities resulting from disconnection,” said Jordana Barton of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Since broadband access has become increasingly essential, any community without fast, reliable internet is condemned “to a long, dark death”, said Peggy Schaffer, Executive Director of Maine’s ConnectME Authority.
Broadband access drives business development and a better life
Whether delivered by terrestrial wired or wireless networks or via satellite, access to reliable, fast internet connectivity is a strong predictor of economic opportunity. Broadband infrastructure is needed to deliver an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship and enables businesses to expand their market reach and customer base.
Charting a course for closing the gap
Bridging the digital divide is more than just a connectivity issue. While technical infrastructure is an essential ingredient, enabling meaningful access through inclusivity and digital literacy of the user is equally important. Institutions, local, regional, and national governments, and corporations can play an important role, providing strategy, funding, and programs promoting access and adoption.
Digital divide’s four components
Digital proficiency
How well one navigates the digital world, shaped by demographic profile, education levels, and technology training.
Infrastructure
Internet speeds; terrestrial broadband coverage; smartphone usage.
Institutions and partnerships
Political prioritisation of broadband strategy. Corporate participation.
Inclusivity
Affordability; equity of broadband access across income groups.
We are on a course of unlimited potential. As new metaverse technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), vital signs monitoring (VSM) wearables, augmented reality (AR), and smart city networks become increasingly common, the worldwide benefits of digital transformation will become even more pronounced. Those without access or connectivity will not only miss out on the key resources and services, but also on long-term economic, education, and healthcare benefits that technology innovation brings.
Our ever-expanding digitised world holds the possibility for universal connectivity or continued isolation for the digital divided. Government, private industry, and NGOs must align to improve digital literacy to extend the internet for all people by finding creative new business models and partnerships to increase affordability, expand infrastructure, and extend access for the whole world.
Analog Devices and the digital divide
ADI is dedicated to bridging the digital divide and working with customers and partners to help provide opportunities for all. Some ways in which ADI’s technology breakthroughs continue to have an impact include:
• Developed power management technology for one of the world’s first 5G cell towers now serving millions in South Korea.
• Helped evolve phased array space communications to beam affordable access to land-locked communities in Africa and Asia.
• Encouraged ecosystem diversity, innovation, and open-access infrastructure sharing to help bring wired, wireless, space, and mobile connectivity to a third of the world’s population.
More on Analog Devices here.
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