Of the 1.6 billion new mobile internet users between now and 2025, five countries account for 50% of the growth and this includes West African country, Nigeria. This is according to a new report from the GSMA which underlines the extent to which the next generation of internet users will be mobile only.
The countries include China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan each will account for 50 million plus. The rest comprises a long tail, clustered in Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.
GSMA forecasts an increase in the attachment rate (the share of mobile users also using the internet) from 65% in 2017 to 86% in 2025.
By 2025, some 3.7 billion people, equivalent to 72 percent of the global internet base, will be accessing the internet exclusively via mobile, says GSMA.
GSMA says smartphone access will be a near-given. According to the company, the challenge will be how to engage and retain customers that are mostly young, lower income and non-English speaking, and lack access to services taken for granted in western countries (banking, health, education).
Two main factors are behind the mobile internet rise in emerging markets listed by GSMA are the continued decline in prices of smartphones and a more recent reduction in the burden on income from mobile data prices.
Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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