RCS - Vodafone Group Plc - ACTION PLAN AGREED FOR UNIVERSAL SMARTPHONE ACCESS

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27/09/2022 07:00

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RNS Number : 7092A  Vodafone Group Plc  27 September 2022

 

 

27 September 2022

 

ACTION PLAN AGREED FOR UNIVERSAL SMARTPHONE ACCESS

 

 

UNGA, New York: The ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable
Development has ratified the first multi-stakeholder study aimed at creating
practical tools and actions that could enable nearly 3 billion more people to
access and use the internet through a smartphone by 2030.

 

Around a third of the global population still cannot or do not access the
internet(1). The adoption gap for mobile internet -  which arises when
individuals do not use the internet even when there is mobile network coverage
in an area -  is now over seven times larger than the coverage gap globally
and is even larger in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and
North Africa(2).

 

A Broadband Commission Working Group on Smartphone Access
(https://www.broadbandcommission.org/working-groups/smartphone-access/) was
co-chaired by Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone Group, Houlin Zhao, Secretary General
of the ITU and Heidi Schroderus-Fox/ Rabab Fatima, UN High Representatives for
the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small
Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). The Working Group also included
representatives from the governments of Benin and Ghana.

 

The report, 'Strategies Towards Universal Smartphone Access', found that
limited affordability and availability of smartphones, along with low consumer
confidence, in part due to a lack of basic digital skills, are limiting
internet adoption.

 

The report, which took a year to research and write, identifies three
interventions that will have the most immediate impact on smartphone adoption:

·    increased use by telecom operators of flexible device financing
models;

·    reduced taxes and import duties; and

·    improved distribution models to make smartphones more accessible to
rural communities.

 

Alongside these measures the report recommends further investigation into the
use of device subsidies and the re-use of pre-owned smartphones.

 

The Broadband Commission will create taskforces to complete a five point
action plan resulting from its findings:

 

(i)            initiate win-win partnerships with players across
the digital value chain;

(ii)           improve recycling regulation and develop quality
standards for pre-owned smartphones;

(iii)          develop strategies for recycling of mid- and low-tier
devices;

(iv)         explore the use of Universal Service Funds and other
government subsidies; and

(v)          further explore the economic benefits of reducing tax
and import duties on smartphones.

 

Nick Read, the CEO of Vodafone Group said: "Access to the internet, and
smartphones, are critical enablers of jobs, education, healthcare, financial
services and much more. We need focused partnerships between business,
government and civil society to drive smartphone adoption, through the five
actions we have identified, to ensure we enable the transformative benefits of
internet adoption for billions of people."

 

Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the ITU, said: "Thanks to the collaborative
efforts of all members of the Working Group, this report moves the
conversation forward by providing detailed case studies on initiatives
implemented globally to address the challenges in providing affordable
broadband and smartphone access. This report is just the first step. For the
next phase, I would like to invite you to join us to implement the recommended
initiatives and the five-point action plan to reduce the device gap for the
underserved communities globally, as we move towards building a more
inclusive, equitable and sustainable world."

 

Rabab Fatima, UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries,
Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
(UN-OHRLLS), said: "Only 45% of adults in emerging economies currently own a
smartphone, compared to 76% in advanced economies.(3)  Women are also
significantly less likely than men to own a smartphone and use the mobile
internet if they live in low and middle income countries. Smartphones are not
just consumer goods: they are accelerators for learning, connection and
economic activity. But with the cost of a smartphone exceeding 70% of the
average monthly income of people living in low and middle income countries(4),
enabling access and use to the internet must now become a policy priority for
the international community."

 

The Working Group also included representatives from: America Móvil; the
government of Benin; the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN; the
government of Ghana; the GSMA; the International Trade Centre; Intelsat; the
International Science Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South
Cooperation (ITC); Millicom; Smart Africa; ZTE; and the World Wide Web
Foundation. The lead author of the report was Professor Christopher Yoo, John
H. Chestnut Professor of Law, Communication, and Computer & Information
Science at the University of Pennsylvania. The report included research from
the GSMA, ITU and 19 structured expert interviews, as well as insights from
focus groups of entrepreneurs convened by the ITC, and extensive desk
research.

 

The strategies for smartphone adoption build upon the Partner2Connect Digital
Coalition (https://www.itu.int/itu-d/sites/partner2connect/) which was
launched earlier this year by the ITU, in close cooperation with the Office of
the Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology. Partner2Connect is a
multistakeholder alliance to foster meaningful connectivity and digital
transformation globally, with a focus on (but not limited to) the hardest-
to-connect communities. The coalition has so far had 428 pledges with an
estimated financial value of US$26.06billion (€26.04billion). Pioneer
pledges include Vodafone, through its main African business Vodacom, which
will invest US$190 million (€190 million) over the next five years to
increase 4G population coverage to an additional 80 million people in Africa.

 

The full report is available at:
https://www.broadbandcommission.org/download/5913/
(https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.broadbandcommission.org%2Fdownload%2F5913%2F&data=05%7C01%7Csteve.sheppersonsmith%40vodafone.com%7C17fbfbf88a8943a8fc1e08da9bd85ab0%7C68283f3b84874c86adb3a5228f18b893%7C0%7C0%7C637993650791877681%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ZKCfBsUBVf0dY0wu0KBtSMjMy7BtzBuGtip0D781TeE%3D&reserved=0)

 

- ends -

 

 1.    ITU: Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2022
 (forthcoming).

 2.    GSMA: Accelerating affordable smartphone ownership in emerging
 markets
 (https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Accelerating-affordable-smartphone-ownership-in-emerging-markets-2017_we.pdf)
 .

 3.    Pew Research Center: Smartphone ownership is growing rapidly around
 the world, but not always equally
 (https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/02/05/smartphone-ownership-is-growing-rapidly-around-the-world-but-not-always-equally/)
 .

 4.    A4AI: Affordability Report 2021
 (https://a4ai.org/report/2021-affordability-report/) .

 For further information:

 Vodafone Group
 Media Relations                          Investor Relations
 GroupMedia@vodafone.com (about%3Ablank)  IR@vodafone.co.uk (about%3Ablank)

 

 

About Vodafone

 

Unique in its scale as the largest pan-European and African technology
communications company, Vodafone transforms the way we live and work through
its innovation, technology, connectivity, platforms, products and services.

 

Vodafone operates mobile and fixed networks in 21 countries, and partners with
mobile networks in 47 more.  As of 30 June 2022, we had over 300m mobile
customers, more than 28m fixed broadband customers and 22m TV customers.
Vodafone is a world leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting around
160m devices and platforms.

 

We have revolutionised fintech in Africa through M-Pesa, which celebrates its
15(th) anniversary in 2022. It is the region's largest fintech platform,
providing access to financial services for more than 50m people in a secure,
affordable and convenient way.

 

Our purpose is to connect for a better future by using technology to improve
lives, digitalise critical sectors and enable inclusive and sustainable
digital societies.

 

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact to reach net zero
emissions across our full value chain by 2040, while helping our customers
reduce their own carbon emissions by 350m tonnes by 2030.  We are driving
action to reduce device waste and achieve our target to reuse, resell or
recycle 100% of our network waste.

 

We believe in the power of connectivity and digital services to improve
society and economies, partnering with governments to digitalise healthcare,
education and agriculture and create cleaner, safer cities.  Our products and
services support the digitalisation of businesses, particularly small and
medium enterprises (SMEs).

 

Our inclusion for all strategy seeks to ensure no-one is left behind through
access to connectivity, digital skills and creating relevant products and
services such as access to education, healthcare and finance.  We are also
committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the
customers and societies we serve.

 

For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com
(https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vodafone.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Csimon.poulter%40vodafone.com%7Cdf3bcc84b95944d1f49f08da6d7719c5%7C68283f3b84874c86adb3a5228f18b893%7C0%7C0%7C637942655827982535%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=u%2FVKb2Joyvfj4ogg22s4A9%2FMaSHU3GbNysKBl9UHqNI%3D&reserved=0)
, follow us on Twitter at @VodafoneGroup or connect with us on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/company/vodafone
(https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fvodafone&data=05%7C01%7Csimon.poulter%40vodafone.com%7Cdf3bcc84b95944d1f49f08da6d7719c5%7C68283f3b84874c86adb3a5228f18b893%7C0%7C0%7C637942655827982535%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jIiK2mz0q6XiR5IyB4Hy7p7y%2BCxJT7gU9iqo6BDzCjk%3D&reserved=0)
.

 

 

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