GSMA noted that further collaboration between mobile operators and governments will be key to extending mobile connectivity and internet services to millions of citizens across the region. Affordability and network coverage are identified as the other main barriers to digital inclusion in the region.

“Mobile broadband is the primary method of delivering affordable internet access across the Latin America and Caribbean region, delivering a range of economic and social benefits and supporting the UN Social Development Goals,” said Sebastian Cabello, the GSMA’s Head of Latin America.

“But there is also the danger of a widening ‘digital divide’ in the region due to millions being either unable or unwilling to use mobile broadband services. We therefore urge governments to work with the mobile industry to address the barriers to adoption and ensure that the mobile internet is more accessible, useful and understandable for everyone.”

“The mobile industry is committed to playing a key role in connecting unconnected populations in Latin America and around the world,” said Matthew Bloxham, Head of the GSMA’s Connected Society programme.

“The GSMA is actively working with mobile operators, governments and the wider international development community to design and implement commercially sustainable and scalable initiatives that can unlock the key supply-side and demand-side barriers to adoption of mobile internet services.”

The Latin America and Caribbean region is home to 634 million people. According to the latest research, the mobile broadband coverage gap in the region is relatively small, with only about 10 per cent of the population – or 64 million people – living outside the footprint of a 3G or 4G network.

A further 33 per cent (207 million) of the population live within range and subscribe to mobile broadband services. This leaves 57 per cent (363 million) of the total population that are covered by mobile broadband networks but not yet connected.

More than 100 million people in this latter category reside in Brazil, the region’s largest market. The demand gap also varies widely across the region, ranging from countries such as Chile and Costa Rica, where the proportion of citizens subscribing to mobile broadband is relatively high, to markets such as Guatemala and Ecuador, where there are significant gaps between mobile broadband availability and adoption.