A study by Wireless Broadband Alliance conducted by Maravedis Rethink Research states that around 57 percent of the global population staying in urban areas still doesn’t have the broadband connection. Out of this, 37 percent of them live in the wealthiest cities of the world. The study was released on the World Wi-Fi Day.
Shrikant Shenwai, CEO of Wireless Broadband Alliance stated that there is a clear divide between the digital haves and the digital have-nots. And while this divide generally mirrors socioeconomic trends around the world, there are surprisingly high levels of urban unconnected citizens in major cities.
The report further highlights that in Asia Pacific, 68 percent of the people have no internet connection, while in Latin America, this percentage is a bit less at 55%. Talking about Europe, the country has the highest urban population connected to broadband. Middle East and Africa have the least proportion of urban population with broadband access with 82 percent unconnected citizens.
As per the reports, the lack of urban connectivity is due to multiple factors ranging from technological and political challenges, low levels of income to the high cost of fixed and mobile services.
