GSMA: Bridging the digital divide in Central Asia and the South Caucasus

The GSMA has released its latest report, “Bridging the Digital Divide in Central Asia and the South Caucasus”. Mobile technology is fundamental to expanding connectivity in the region, with more than 40% of the population living in rural areas and mobile connections being the primary and often only form of internet access.

Bridging the digital divide in Eurasia

A new GSMA report assesses the state of connectivity in eight countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus, outlines the digital divide, highlights initiatives being implemented in the region to bridge the digital divide, and suggests action points for stakeholders to accelerate progress.

Other key findings:

While 45 million people in the eight countries assessed currently use mobile internet, a digital divide remains, with nearly 50 million unconnected people at risk of missing out on the benefits of mobile internet.

The spread of mobile internet services has not kept pace with the expansion of network coverage, resulting in large usage gaps. As of 2022, the largest regional usage gaps are in Georgia (52%) and Turkmenistan (50%), and the smallest are in Armenia (33%) and Azerbaijan (31%), compared to the global average of 41%.

While 4G is now the dominant technology in Azerbaijan (59%) and Kazakhstan (62%), 3G still accounts for more than 40% of total connections in the region, compared to the global average of 17%.

5G adoption in the region is still in its infancy, with commercial 5G services only available in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as of April 2023. The medium-term focus for operators in the region is to expand 4G capacity in urban areas and extend 4G coverage to underserved areas.

While 4G networks already cover 83% of Central Asia’s population, extending coverage to the last frontier regions can be costly and complex, leading operators to increasingly turn to alternative technologies.

Bridging the region’s digital divide requires substantial collaborative action. To this end, governments and policymakers should take steps to attract investment to deploy network infrastructure in underserved areas; launch innovative digital services to stimulate demand; and address the various non-infrastructure barriers to mobile internet adoption.