Why mobile access won’t mend our ‘digital divide’ without fixed-line broadband


Mobile services have had an important and positive impact on developing countries where they are the main means of connecting to the internet. However, mobile services have capacity constraints. They use limited radio frequency spectrum, which means that mobile data typically has usage limits. They also have high prices per unit (per gigabyte), which results in lower use per connection. Fixed-line broadband, on the other hand, has significantly lower prices per unit. It is often offered on an uncapped or unlimited basis and therefore has higher usage per connection. This enables a wider range of services. Fixed lines are expensive…

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