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The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has flagged what it described as “worrisome gaps” in Internet connectivity and access in least developed countries.
In a press release, the ITU said that in least developed countries, about 17 percent of the rural population lives in areas without mobile coverage and 19 percent of the rural population is covered only by a 2G network.
This is a huge disparity with the number of urban households, of which 72 percent had Internet access at home. This is almost double compared to those in rural areas, which is 38 percent in 2019.
“How much longer can we tolerate the significant gap in household connectivity between urban and rural areas?” Said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “In the era of Covid-19, where many work and study from home, this edition of Measuring digital development: facts and figures sends the clear message that accelerating the deployment of infrastructure is one of the most urgent and defining problems of our weather. “
In the Philippines, 17.7 percent of all households have an Internet connection, according to the National ICT Household Survey, which was conducted by the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute and the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Additionally, seven out of 10 barangays do not have access to fiber optic cables, while 64 percent lack access to cell towers. It is much worse in the autonomous region of Bangsamoro in Muslim Mindanao, and in the regions of Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Northern Luzon, Palawan and Central Visayas, which are underserved or neglected, according to the National Commission. of Telecommunications. . Zhao noted that the latest ITU data shows that mobile broadband network roll-out has slowed in 2020.
According to the ITU, while 4G network coverage doubled globally between 2015 and 2020 to 85 percent coverage, annual growth has gradually slowed since 2017 and 2020 coverage is just 1.3 percentage points. higher than 2019.
In addition to infrastructure deployment, the digital gender divide, lack of digital skills and affordability remain the main obstacles to meaningful participation in a digital society, especially in the developing world, where mobile telephony and access to The Internet is still too expensive for many. ITU noted.
