Internet access has become a basic requirement in the global economy, where having access to it determines whether or not one is employed and educated. According to the UN, being online means "having utilized the internet at least once over the last three months from any device, in any place." In the past three hours alone, I have used the internet numerous times to do work-related tasks, communicate with coworkers, and spur innovation. 

In the first year of the pandemic, the Covid-19 problem sped up internet use by more than 10%. There were 4.9 billion online users in 2020 as opposed to 4.1 billion in 2019. This user uptake was the biggest growth in a decade. However, hundreds of millions of those people had to share equipment or endure extremely sluggish connection rates since they connected infrequently. 

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations (UN) says it is depressing to learn that, by December 2021, an estimated 2.9 billion people would not have ever utilized the internet. To put that in perspective, 37% of the world's population are thought to have never enjoyed the delight of connecting to the digital world. Additionally, only a small percentage of that population—96%—receives inexpensive, high-quality technical and vocational education and training because they reside in developing nations.

In the 46 least developed countries, about three-quarters of the population has never accessed the internet, and internet access is frequently prohibitively expensive in developing countries. Two percent of monthly income for each gigabit of data is the UN's aim for cheap internet. It has been established that most people can get basic internet connection for this price. However, only the richest 20% of South Africans can actually afford that. The cost of basic internet connectivity for the lowest 60% of the population ranges from 6% to 21% of their monthly income. A large portion of the region cannot afford internet connectivity in countries like Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in Africa.

In the 46 least developed countries, about three-quarters of the population has never accessed the internet, and internet access is frequently prohibitively expensive in developing countries. Two percent of monthly income for each gigabit of data is the UN's aim for cheap internet. It has been established that most people can get basic internet connection for this price. However, only the richest 20% of South Africans can actually afford that. The cost of basic internet connectivity for the lowest 60% of the population ranges from 6% to 21% of their monthly income. A large portion of the region cannot afford internet connectivity in countries like Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in Africa.

According to Adrian Lovett, the president and chief executive officer of the World Wide Web Foundation, 

If you are not connected when the vast majority of your fellow citizens are, you become marginalized in a way that may be more severe and difficult than anything we have ever seen. 

The majority of the world's offline nations are rural areas on the edges of urban areas, where building mobile internet towers can be five times more expensive. When groups are less educated and have lower incomes, costs go up. To link these populations, telecom firms need to offer generous incentives. There is a desire, yet it seems there is no means.

As technology advances more quickly, the industrialized world is far ahead and shows no signs of slowing down, leaving the still-developing world in the digital lurch. 

In the same article, Sonia Jorge, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Internet, stated: 

We might not achieve universal access until 2050 or later, given the recent slowing rise in internet use and the high price of internet connectivity for considerable numbers of low-income populations worldwide. 

The initial UN target of providing everyone with affordable internet access by 2020 is now 30 years away and a generation away. 

The only factor that trumps affordability and accessibility in poor countries is a lack of education. Too many six to 11-year-old youngsters in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend primary school (UNESCO,2019). However, learning about robots, coding, and other 4IR topics is necessary to land future employment prospects. A pillar in the advancement of establishing a living is now online education. What will they do with the internet when it is available, though, if there is no education? 

Training and education must be a part of any investment in broadband infrastructure that the government or private businesses make. To create the groundwork for digital comprehension through STEM and TVET curriculum, let's assume people are illiterate. They won't gain anything from an internet connection in that situation.

As businesses transition to an online world, there is also the worry of excluding marginalized demographic groups from obtaining goods and services. Online public forums, social networks, and digital government services like tax filing and ID card applications are some other out-of-reach services. 

Internet usage spurs economic expansion 

According to a 2012 University of California, Berkeley analysis, developing countries' GDP rose by 1.35 percent for every 10% increase in broadband coverage. In a similar vein, a Deloitte analysis discovered that doubling mobile data consumption increased GDP per capita by 0.5 percentage points.

According to a poll released in October 2018 by the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC, online use offered a variety of benefits to people in six sub-Saharan nations. According to research conducted in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania, 79% of respondents thought having enough internet access enhanced education. More than 50% believed it improved personal relationships, politics, and the economy. 

These studies show that having access to the internet improves one's quality of life and serves as more than just a source of amusement. It dismantles barriers, strengthens economies, forges connections, enlightens, and elevates those who aren't allowed to leave a digital trace. Future occupations are being shaped by internet connectivity, which also offers access to even the most fundamental necessities. It delivers much-needed products, such as those found in the financial industry, and welcomes previously marginalized demographic groups into conversations. 

To reach our near- and far-off corners of the globe, internet connection requires increasing focus, investment, and creative solutions. High-altitude balloons and satellite constellations are two cutting-edge approaches that could significantly advance the UN's sustainability objective. We have a moral obligation to ensure that this silver bullet finds its target as the gulf widens and to ensure that no one is left behind.