New Report Highlights Digital Literacy Gap and Its Economic Impact
News related to:GSMA Intelligence · 2 min read
The report, unveiled at UNESCO's Digital Learning Week, estimates that more than one in three people (38%) are not connected to the internet despite being covered by mobile broadband.
According to the research, the digital divide affects approximately 3.1 billion individuals, with the shortage of digital skills, user trust, and AI literacy being key factors. The report suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could act as both a bridge and a barrier for underserved communities. AI-powered voice assistants and applications that work with images, audio, and video can help low-literacy users bypass the need to input text. However, these tools also raise the security and critical-thinking standards required to use technology safely.
The study highlights that closing the capability gap could add around $3.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with more than 90% of these gains expected to flow to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Physical mobile broadband coverage currently reaches 96% of the world's population, but the report emphasizes that connectivity alone is insufficient. Capabilities, system design, and trust must evolve together to fully harness the potential of digital technologies.
The research also points out that GenAI literacy represents the highest-value skill category, with wage premiums up to 36%, far exceeding returns for both digital and traditional AI skills. Without targeted interventions in basic digital training, the authors warn that rapid AI adoption risks entrenching existing inequalities, even in areas with full network coverage.
To bridge the usage gap, the report urges policymakers, telecom operators, and technology vendors to work together and focus on four priorities: 1. Treating practical AI awareness, online safety, and information verification as a baseline national qualification. 2. Adopting multilingual voice and conversational interfaces across public services to minimize user-side technical hurdles. 3. Scaling up mobile learning units through cross-sector partnerships that combine operator connectivity, vendor technology, and local NGO networks. 4. Measuring performance by independent task completion and fraud resilience rather than trainee numbers.
Community-based delivery models are highlighted as crucial for digital inclusion initiatives. Huawei's Skills on Wheels initiative, which includes solar-powered DigiTruck mobile classrooms, is cited as a field-tested example. These mobile classrooms bring hardware, rural connectivity, and hands-on training, including AI literacy, to off-grid regions. Since 2019, training courses delivered by Skills on Wheels projects have reached more than 130,000 people across 21 countries, with many trainees sharing their new skills with family members and peers.
The report concludes that digital literacy can no longer be defined by static thresholds. Connectivity alone is insufficient; capabilities, system design, and trust must evolve together. To capture the multi-trillion-dollar opportunity, stakeholders must integrate layered AI literacy directly into daily livelihoods through trusted community channels.
Huawei's Gavin Allen emphasized the value of mobile classrooms in helping underserved populations break through physical and psychological barriers to technology.
A new DigiTruck program will launch in France this autumn, covering several cities in the Île-de-France region and targeting low-income and underserved communities with digital skills training.