Dhaka, Dec 09 (V7N) — Bangladesh ranks at the bottom of 12 low-middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in terms of smartphone ownership and mobile internet usage, according to the GSMA report The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024. The report, released in October, highlights disparities in mobile internet adoption across urban and rural areas and identifies barriers to digital connectivity.

The data reveals that only 41% of urban residents and 26% of rural residents in Bangladesh own smartphones. Correspondingly, mobile internet usage is 43% in urban areas and 27% in rural regions. These figures place Bangladesh behind countries like Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Guatemala, and Mexico, while only Ethiopia and Uganda perform worse in mobile internet penetration.

The report attributes the low adoption rates in Bangladesh to several factors:

Digital Skills Gap: A significant portion of the population lacks the skills necessary to use mobile internet effectively.

Security Concerns: Urban users report fears about online safety as a key issue.

High Costs: The cost of smartphones remains a major barrier, preventing 8% of urban and 11% of rural residents from accessing mobile devices.

Literacy Challenges: Limited literacy prevents 28% of urban and 19% of rural users from using mobile internet.

The rate of daily internet use in Bangladesh is 40% in cities and 24% in villages, placing the country behind most other nations except Ethiopia. Despite some progress in awareness—rising from 72% in 2019 to 75% in 2023—there has been no significant growth in actual usage.

The GSMA report underlines the urgent need for initiatives to improve digital literacy, reduce costs, and address safety concerns to bridge the digital divide and enhance mobile internet penetration in Bangladesh.

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