Connecting the next billion to the Internet

“It took us 22 years to connect the first two billion to the Internet. It will only take five years to connect the next two billion – and they will all come from emerging markets,” was one of several statements made during a key note session at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

We spoke to John Strand, telecom analytic of Strand Consulting and Knut Haakon Nilsen, Telenor TMS Sweden and Denmark who also attended the key note to get their take on the session.

Addressing a packed auditorium, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, Dr Nasser CEO of Qtel, Bharti Airtel’s Managing Director Manoj Kohli and Gary Kovacs CEO Mozilla discussed how the industry landscape will evolve as the internet community continues to grow over the coming years and ways in which mobile technology will bridge the digital divide.

Growth will come from Asia and Africa in the next five years, and people will move directly to mobile internet usage when getting connected. Connectivity will not only impact the economy, but also the social and political well-being of any nation. A doubling of internet access in poorer countries in 10 years could create up to 64 million new jobs and help 600 million people climb over the poverty line and bridge the gender gap.

“We are social animals; hence we need to be connected. The world will be only smartphones, over the next five years. The phone needs to be the bank, the educator, my health check-up and my all-in-one accessory for my day-to-day life,” said Bharti Airtel’s Managing Director Manoj Kohli.

Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop said in order to gain access to the digital economy the only thing you will need is a phone number and a digital device.  There are several fundamental challenges that need to be overcome, he said. “We need to provide people affordable ways to access content and data, we need to help people navigate and discover and enjoy content.”