Hundreds of millions of Africans with mobile coverage remain offline

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  About 906 million Africans live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet, according to a joint report by the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa and GSMA Intelligence.

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  Another 122 million people live in areas without last-mile mobile or fixed connectivity.

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  In 2025, about 550 million Africans, or 36% of the continent’s population, used the internet, compared with 16% in 2015.

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  The report identifies device affordability, digital skills, trust and the perceived value of internet use as barriers to wider adoption.

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  It analysed connectivity indicators, infrastructure gaps and usage barriers in 11 core focus markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Who

Hundreds of millions of Africans who live within mobile broadband coverage but do not use mobile internet.

What

A joint report says that expanding network coverage is not enough to bring people online; affordability, skills, trust and perceived value also matter.

When

The report gives figures for 2025 and compares internet use with 2015. The article was published on 2026-10-12.

Where

Across Africa, with analysis of 11 core focus markets in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Why

Barriers include the cost of devices, limited digital skills, lack of trust in online services and doubts about the value of going online.

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