In this blog post, we will explore the importance of internet access for India and its impact on individuals and communities across the country.

5 reasons to care for digital equity 

The discussion surrounding the latest technologies and emerging digital resources often seems to be missing the voice of the so-called ‘silver surfers’ — the elderly, who might benefit from these technologies the most.

ICTs and technology can contribute to Sustainable Development Goal10, Reduced inequality within and among countries, but to do so, it is essential to know how the world is in terms of the digital divide to find better solutions.

Despite being the second-largest online market with over 560 million internet users, less than half of India’s population has access to the internet. As in other parts of the world, the digital divide in India increased during the pandemic.

In this blog post we are shining a light on the digital divide in Africa.

Africa is the content with the with the lowest internet penetration rate at 39% of the population, compared to a global average of nearly 60%.

I first met the team on a zoom call and it was great to see all the individuals from different fields who all share the same passion towards the vision of theunconnected.org to connect over a 1 Million NEW people to the internet by 2025.

I am one of theunconnected.org’s ambassadors based in Mexico. I have been working with the team on the ground to launch a project where together with NGO Mentors International, we are offering broadband internet at no-cost to people who would otherwise have no internet connection.

Connectivity enables greater access to education and health services, powers financial inclusion and supports the development of new micro-business and efficiency improvements in existing ones. But it is not evenly distributed by any means.

Here in the UK we’re in another stringent lockdown, how would life be if we didn’t have the internet?

Take a second to think about your day to day life today and the role connectivity plays in that, is it now so pervasive that you, like me, take it for granted?

Across a range of large and developed economies, the internet exerts a strong influence on economic growth rates. Looking at the World Development Report you can clearly see the decrease in transaction cost and the increase in development.

How would you stay up to date about the COVID-19 pandemic if you do not have an internet connection?

In moments of crisis, most of us instinctively seek human connections. However, establishing and maintaining these connections is one of the biggest challenges NGOs and service providers face.

We call on all relevant UN agencies to take concrete steps with the digital industry and governments to accelerate universal access to digital services, including public–private financing to extend connectivity to hard-to-reach populations.

The problem of half the world not having access to the internet is a real one and is growing the chasm between the haves and have nots so the more people addressing this issue the better.

18 million households remain unconnected to the internet in the USA. For the wealthiest nation in the word, this exacerbates inequality and social divide.

Does COVID-19 impact women more than men? Perhaps not medically, but that is not all that we should consider.

In the developing world micro-businesses make up a large percentage of the economy. Internet connectivity is critical to fuel their growth and impact the economy..