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A new report by the GSMA, a global organisation that unites the mobile ecosystem to create positive business environments and societal change, identifies gaps in rural access and usage. 

According to the 2026 report, “Spectrum and Rural Connectivity”, rural communities have yet to realise the full potential of mobile connectivity. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), adults in rural areas are 25% less likely to use mobile internet than their urban counterparts. 

“Even among mobile internet users, rural populations exhibit lower levels of use; they are 30% less likely to regularly engage in key activities such as instant messaging, online calls, and accessing services such as banking or education,” the report highlights in its Executive Summary. “In high-income countries, the gap is narrower but still significant, with rural users up to 20% less likely to regularly use services such as online maps, video calls, and other digital tools.”

Despite progress with rural coverage over the past decade, these disparities represent missed opportunities for broader societal benefits, including economic growth, improved access to healthcare and education, and enhanced network effects that amplify value for all users, the report notes.

The rural connectivity gap stems from multiple barriers, with literacy and affordability as the primary hurdles to initial adoption in both urban and rural areas. However, in LMICs, 18% of rural mobile internet users cite inconsistent coverage and slow speeds as the main barrier to more intensive use. This is 50% higher than the share among urban users. Rural consumers also report affordability as a barrier more frequently.

The report prescribes policy actions to address the rural connectivity gap, including making low-band spectrum available to boost rural coverage and speeds, aligning spectrum prices with economic fundamentals, and reducing the cost of rural deployments. Other policy measures advised are facilitating voluntary spectrum and network sharing and addressing affordability as a key barrier for rural consumers in LMICs.