ITU Global Report: Digital Divide Deepens; India Leverages Satellites and PMGDISHA to Bridge Gaps
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) | Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
The ITU’s Global Connectivity Report 2025 provides a comprehensive assessment of the world’s digital landscape. While connectivity has expanded—with 74% of the global population now online—progress toward Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC) is constrained by persistent divides and emerging risks.
Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC) is an aspirational policy goal ensuring everyone can access the Internet in optimal conditions, affordably, whenever and wherever needed. It relies on six enablers: Quality, Availability, Affordability, Devices, Skills, and Security.
The report identifies a connectivity paradox, where digital progress amplifies existing socioeconomic inequalities.
Affordability Crisis: For the bottom 40% of earners in low-income economies, the cost burden of mobile broadband soars to about 20% of their monthly income, effectively doubling the affordability challenge compared to the national average.
Digital Divides: The Urban-Rural Divide remains substantial globally. The Gender Divide persists, particularly in South Asia and Africa.
The Dark Side: Digitalization carries environmental costs (data centers consume ~1.5% of global electricity) and societal risks like cybercrime.
India-Specific Insights:
Closing the Skills Gap: The report explicitly highlights India’s Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) as a key national initiative. It is cited for its role in improving digital literacy in rural areas, specifically tailoring sessions to teach seniors how to access government welfare schemes and use mobile wallets.
Strategic Infrastructure: India is recognized for utilizing satellite services to extend connectivity to mountainous and remote regions, demonstrating a multi-technology approach to reach underserved populations.
Persistent Divides: Data visualizations for India indicate a continued disparity in Internet usage between urban and rural areas, as well as a distinct gap between non-manual (higher usage) and manual workers.
Policy Relevance
The ITU report validates India’s dual strategy of infrastructure diversification (satellites) and targeted skilling (PMGDISHA). However, the data on the urban-rural divide suggests that despite these efforts, gap reduction remains a priority. Policy focus must arguably shift towards device affordability and deeper digital skills integration to ensure the “meaningful” aspect of UMC is met for the bottom 40% of the population.
Follow the full news here: Global Connectivity Report 2025 (ITU)