Over forty percent of the population in India does not own even a basic feature phone: ITU report

The International Telecommunications Union has released the annual Measuring the Information Society Report for 2016. The flagship annual report is recognised as the world’s most impartial and reliable repository of data and analysis of the state of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development. The ICT Development Index (IDI) rankings compare the state of ICT development across countries. South Korea has topped the IDI ranking for the second year in a row. India has fallen three places in the ranking, from 135 in 2015 to 138 in 2016. The value of the IDI index itself has improved, from 2.50 to 2.69. The IDI index has three sub indices for access, usage and skills. In terms of access, India has moved ahead by one point, and ranks 139 in 2016 as against 140 in 2015. Even in the use sub index, India has moved up to 142 in 2016 from 143 in 2015. In the skills sub index, India has seen no change, and is ranked 122 among member countries for both 2016 and 2015. [caption id=“attachment_349228” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  The IDI values for the APAC region in 2016.[/caption] In the Asia Pacific region, India is ranked at 26, behind countries such as Fiji, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Samoa, but ahead of countries such as Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The lowest ranked nation in the region is Afghanistan. Zero rated schemes have been banned in several European countries, Chile, Japan, Egypt apart from India. However, the report shows that zero rated schemes are among the cheapest and most popular ways to access the internet, albeit in a restricted manner. Free Basics by Facebook is available in 40 countries worldwide. The study shows that broadband access in India has become cheaper compared to last year, but the data caps are among the most restrictive in the world. India is among the countries where a large percentage of the population still does not own a mobile phone. In Bangladesh, Indonesia, India and Pakistan, over forty percent of the population does not own a mobile phone. The youngest (5-14 years) and oldest (>74 years) are the demographics that are most likely not to have access to a mobile device. There is also a significant gender gap in mobile phone ownership, and a disproportionate portion of women in developing countries use someone else’s mobile phones. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh show the biggest differences between usage and ownership, where men are twice as likely to own mobile phones than women. A lack of mobile ownership is seen more in the lower income category, and among those who are not educated. People in rural regions are more likely to not own a mobile phone. The main barrier to mobile ownership is affordability. This means that over forty percent of the population in India cannot afford even a basic feature phone. The findings go to show that universal mobile phone adoption has not been achieved yet, and policy makers are directed towards taking measures to encourage mobile adoption. [caption id=“attachment_349241” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Source: ITU[/caption]   The report contains a comparison of mobile phone usage vs mobile phone ownership in some countries where such data is available. Where the differences are small, such as Morocco, very few people use someone else’s mobile phone or sim card. In Kenya or Myanmar, these differences are moderate. This means that in India, around half of mobile phone users do so through a sim card or handset owned by someone else. Here is an age wise breakdown of ownership and usage in India: [caption id=“attachment_349245” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Source: ITU[/caption] The 2016 report has some data for 2015, that is compared to the data from 2014. Fixed line telephone subscriptions have gone down in India, and now only two people in a hundred have a landline. Mobile phone subscriptions, amount of available bandwidth, computers in households, and access to an internet connection have all seen increase in India. The percentage of users on the internet has gone up in 2015 to 26 percent of the population, from 21 percent in 2014. Fixed line broadband services saw a marginal increase in adoption. Mobile broadband subscriptions in India almost doubled with 10 people in a 100 having access to mobile internet in 2015, as against 6 in a hundred in 2014. For improving the index, India will need to improve internet access to the underserved. There is also a need to change the definition of the minimum broadband speed, and relax the FUP levels, which are among the most restrictive in the world. Efforts should be taken to promote the use of mobile phones in rural areas, and a lot more women need access to their own mobile phones.