57 percent of the global urban population lacks internet access: Study

Nearly 57 percent of the global urban population remains unconnected to broadband internet, with 37 percent living in some of the world’s wealthiest cities, a study said on Monday. Released on the occasion of World Wi-Fi Day, the study by the Wireless Broadband Alliance conducted by Maravedis Rethink Research, a wireless infrastructure analyst firm, aims to identify the amount of unconnected citizens living in urban areas in both developed and emerging economies. “There is a clear divide between the digital haves and the digital have-nots. And while this divide generally mirrors socio-economic trends around the world, there are surprisingly high levels of urban unconnected citizens in major cities,” said Shrikant Shenwai, CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance, in a statement. Sixty-eight percent of people in Asia Pacific have no broadband connection while 55 percent of people in Latin America are without broadband, the report stated. Europe has the lowest percentage of urban unconnected at 17 percent while the Middle East and Africa has the highest proportion of urban unconnected citizens at 82 percent. London is the most connected major global city (only eight percent not-connected), while Lagos is the least connected city (with 88.3 percent). The lack of urban connectivity can be attributed to number technological and political challenges, from low levels of income to the high cost of fixed and mobile services. IANS