Houlin Zhao
New Vodafone & UN Initiative to Give 3.4-Billion Access to a Smartphone by 2030
A new global initiative has been launched by Vodafone Group and ITU, the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies, to address the global digital divide. The initiative aims for an additional 3.4 billion people to have the ability to access and use the internet through a smartphone by 2030. The Digital Divide With mobile broadband (4G) networks now covering 82% of the population of Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), the mobile usage gap is 6x larger than the mobile coverage gap (2) In line with the Broadband Commission Global Targets 2025 on affordability and connectivity, the new Working Group will identify policy, commercial and circular-economy interventions to increase smartphone access. Co-chaired by Vodafone Group CEO, Nick Read, and ITU ...
