Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org Summit Speech in New Dehli

For many people, Internet access is now essential. It is as common as electricity or even access to water. But for 4.4 billion people in the world, the Internet does not exist. A new study by McKinsey & Company, Inc. in collaboration with Facebook, Inc. points to a number of barriers that prevent this large group of people from gaining Internet access and connecting with the rest of the world.

Of the 4.4 billion people without Internet access, 3.4 billion of them live in 20 countries where low income and rural existence is a way of life. A disproportionate number of them are also illiterate and female, with women 25 percent less likely to have access than men. Between 1.1 and 2.8 billion people are not even able to access the Internet via mobile devices because they live in areas without mobile network coverage. If the current trend continues, 3.8 to 4.2 billion people will still be without access by 2017, while 500 to 900 million will join the “online population” during that same period.

The report cites a number of barriers to Internet adoption, including:

• Lack of incentives – This includes lack of general awareness of the Internet, lack of local or relevant content and lack of cultural acceptance.
• Low income vs. high cost – Many of the places that do offer Internet services, particularly through mobile data plans, are simply too expensive for low income residents
• User capability – Many lack the skills and digital literacy or language literacy to use the Internet effectively.
• Infrastructure – Numerous people truly live “off the grid”, out of mobile coverage or even without electricity.

The full 127-page report provides details on barriers in specific countries as well as more in-depth analyses of trends that may increase Internet adoption in those areas. The report is available for free download at mckinsey.com. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to give a keynote at the Internet.org Summit in New Dehli, India next week to address this issue of barriers to Internet access.

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