iWorld
Billions still offline despite mobile internet surge: GSMA
LONDON: The world is more connected than ever, yet the digital divide stubbornly persists. According to the GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 report, some 4.7 billion people – 58 per cent of the global population – now use mobile internet on their own device, with another 710 million (9 per cent) getting online via shared phones. The leap in 2024, when 200 million joined the ranks of mobile internet users, was the fastest growth since 2021.
Still, that leaves 3.4 bIllion people offline. Just 4 per cent of the global population, around 300 million individuals, live in areas with no mobile coverage – the “coverage gap”. Far more troubling is the “usage gap”: 3.1 billion people, or 38 per cent of humanity, live under a signal but remain disconnected. The problem is not technology but barriers like high handset costs, poor digital literacy, low awareness of the internet’s uses, and patchy electricity supply.
The divide is starkest in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which account for 93 per cent of the unconnected. In these regions, adults in rural areas are 25 per cent less likely to be online than their urban counterparts, while women are 14 per cent less likely than men to use mobile internet. Sub-Saharan Africa lags furthest behind, with only one in four people online and a coverage gap of 10 per cent.
Affordability remains the single biggest brake. Entry-level internet-enabled handsets cost 16 per cent of monthly income in LMICs and nearly half the earnings of the poorest quintile. , GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath argues that a $30 handset could transform access for up to 1.6 billion people. To that end, the GSMA last year launched a Handset Affordability Coalition with backing from operators, device-makers, multilateral lenders and development agencies.
Connectivity infrastructure, meanwhile, has reached maturity in many markets. 4G networks now cover 93 per cent of the world’s population and 5G more than half, though 4G rollout is slowing as investment shifts to 5G. The real obstacle is adoption: most of the offline live within coverage zones but either lack a device or the ability to use it effectively. Two-thirds of the usage gap stems from people without a handset at all.
Even among those connected, “meaningful use” remains elusive. Many people restrict their mobile internet activity to a narrow band of services such as messaging or social media, barely scratching the surface of what digital access can offer in healthcare, education, commerce or banking.
The economic stakes are high. Closing the usage gap, the GSMA estimates, could unlock $3.5trn in additional global GDP by 2030. But that will require not only affordable handsets and cheaper data, but also policy action to address gender disparities, build digital skills, improve electricity access, and generate locally relevant content.
“Although the digital divide has been on the agenda for over a decade, the time has come for meaningful progress,” Badrinath said. “Infrastructure is no longer the main barrier. The challenge now is ensuring billions more can actually use it.”
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
