Least developed countries suffer digital divide in mobile connectivity, according to UNCTAD analysis

A new analysis by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shed light on how mobile data usage is significantly more expensive in the least developed countries (LDCs) compared to the rest of the world, in addition to the low network coverage and the expensive data usage. While LDCs score on average 54, compared with 83 in the rest of the world in network coverage, the mobile data affordability indicator average is 30 for LDCs and 63 in the rest of the world. To address this technological gap, the UNCTAD pinpoints three key priorities for LDCs including mobilising resources to bridge the digital divide, lowering costs of internet access, and supporting investment in digital skills are three critical priorities for LDCs.