PROSPECTS OF INTERNET FOR ALL

 The internet is the pillar of modern information society, writes Sonny Aragba-Akpore

   On May 17, 2022, when the World Telecom and Information Society Day (WTISD) held in Geneva, Switzerland, there was only one thought on the mind of Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres: how to connect the nearly three billion offline population to the internet by 2030.
With the global population put at about eight billion, only about five billion have access to the internet and the three billion offline especially in Africa and Asia, the global body is worried that this situation, if not addressed will become a potential danger as the unconnected people will see themselves as neglected.

But how bridging the digital divide will be done within the next eight years was the fulcrum of this year’s World Telecommunication and Information Society Day .

The UN Chief said apart from building digital technologies for older people and healthy ageing, “building smarter cities to combatting age-based discrimination at the workplace, ensuring financial inclusion, safeguarding independence, and supporting millions of caregivers across the world should be our concern “.

   In the last 30 years, the number of Internet users worldwide has surged from just a few million to almost five billion today. But with one third of humanity still offline, huge connectivity potential remains untapped. 

The UN Secretary-General Guterres reaffirmed the urgent need to connect everyone, everywhere to the Internet by 2030. “Leaving no one behind means leaving no one offline,” Guterres said. He reassured the world that since information technology has vast potential to improve the lives of older people and their families and communities, no effort should be spared to make the most of the opportunities presented by 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, digital health, and other technologies, that will dramatically improve accessibility and inclusivity.  “Nearly half of humanity still has no access to the internet. We must connect everyone, everywhere by 2030 — because leaving no one behind means leaving no one offline,” Guteres lamented. “At the same time, we must take action to prevent and reduce the dangers of information technology, including the spread of misinformation and the exploitation of personal data.”

  As part of his road map and vision for Digital Co-operation — to embrace the promise of digital technology while protecting people from its perils, Guteres commended  the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for “its vital work narrowing the digital divide, setting standards, and connecting people wherever they are, whatever their means”. He added that on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,” let us commit to working together to ensure that technology is equitable, safe, and affordable for all people and all ages”.

ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao, admitted that humanity and technology are at a turning point.

“During the pandemic, the world saw what digital technologies can do and how they can transform our future” and emerging digital technologies in fields from 5G and the Internet of Things to AI and cloud computing are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

“Like other breakthrough technologies before them, they will have a profound impact on our future and that of our planet,” Zhao explained. According to the ITU chief “great possibilities come with great responsibilities. Close to three billion people are still unconnected, with the majority of them living in developing countries—especially in rural areas. Gender, generational and affordability gaps also remain.”

He told the gathering that access to digital technologies “isn’t just a moral responsibility, it’s essential for global prosperity and sustainability. This includes the more than one billion people aged 60 years or older at the centre of this year’s celebrations of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day,” because ”this group of the population, which is growing larger and larger, has greatly contributed to the social and economic achievements of our time.”

Observed on May 17, WTISD marks the founding of ITU. Zhao said the ITU this year focuses efforts on “Digital Technologies for Older Persons and Healthy Ageing” as part of ITU’s ongoing efforts to support the Decade of Healthy Ageing launched by the World Health Organization and the United Nations.  He called on the global community to share with “us what has worked and what else can be done to help older persons become active participants in, and valuable contributors to, the digital world.”

With several ITU events taking place this year including the election, ”2022 represents an unprecedented opportunity to break cycles of exclusion and accelerate digital transformation for all”, the ITU submitted.

   The world’s population stood at 7.91 billion in January 2022, with the yearly growth rate of 1.0 percent suggesting that this figure will reach eight billion sometime in mid-2023. Well over half (57.0 percent) of the world’s population now lives in urban areas.

More than two-thirds (67.1 percent) of the global population now uses a mobile phone, with unique users reaching 5.31 billion by the start of 2022. The global total has grown by 1.8 percent over the past year, with 95 million new mobile users since this time last year.

Global internet users climbed to 4.95 billion at the start of 2022, with internet penetration now standing at 62.5 percent of the world’s total population. Data show that internet users have grown by 192 million over the past year, but ongoing restrictions to research and reporting due to COVID-19 mean that actual growth trends may be considerably higher than these figures suggest.

DataReportal says “there are 4.62 billion social media users around the world as at January 2022. This figure is equal to 58.4 percent of the world’s total population, although it’s worth noting that social media “users” may not represent unique individuals . Global social media users have grown by more than 10 percent over the past 12 months, with 424 million new users starting their social media journey during 2021.”

The concrete steps that governments, businesses, and society could be taking to achieve truly universal connectivity remain a major concern.

As of April 2022, there were five billion internet users worldwide, which underscores the race to making universal internet coverage possible by 2030.

By connecting billions of people worldwide, the internet is a core pillar of the modern information society. The global internet penetration rate is 62.5 percent, with Northern Europe ranking first with a 98 percent penetration rate among the population. The countries with the highest internet penetration rate worldwide are the UAE, Denmark and Ireland. At the opposite end of the spectrum is North Korea with virtually no online usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide. As of 2021, Asia was the region with largest number of online users –  over 2.8 billion at the latest count. Europe was ranked second with almost 744 million internet users.

Aragba-Akpore is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board