The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) could deepen the global digital divide as rising smartphone component costs make Internet-enabled devices increasingly unaffordable for millions of people in low- and middle-income countries, including across Africa. The warning was contained in the 2026 State of Mobile Internet Connectivity report by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).
According to the report, more than 3.4 billion people worldwide still do not use mobile Internet, despite over 90 per cent of them living in areas covered by mobile broadband networks. The GSMA said the situation could create a new divide between people who can access AI-powered technologies and those who remain excluded because they cannot afford the devices needed to get online.
The affordability challenge is being compounded by rising costs of smartphone memory and chipsets, driven partly by growing demand for AI infrastructure and data centres. GSMA data showed that memory prices more than doubled between the third quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 before rising by a further 80 to 90 per cent in the second quarter, putting additional pressure on entry-level smartphone prices.
The impact is particularly significant in sub-Saharan Africa, where an entry-level Internet-enabled handset cost the poorest 20 per cent of people the equivalent of 76 per cent of their average monthly income by the end of 2025. The GSMA also reported that about 160 million people came online in 2025, down from 190 million in the previous year, while 3.1 billion people remained within mobile broadband coverage but did not use mobile Internet.
GSMA Director-General Vivek Badrinath said AI could transform lives on an unprecedented scale, but its benefits would remain limited if people could not access the Internet in the first place. The association is therefore calling on smartphone component manufacturers, policymakers and financial institutions to work together to improve the availability of affordable devices, warning that keeping smartphones within reach of low-income consumers will be critical to ensuring that Africa and other emerging markets are not left behind in the AI-driven digital economy.
source: The guardian