A new report from GSMA Intelligence, produced in collaboration with Huawei and released at UNESCO's Digital Learning Week, identifies digital literacy—not network coverage—as the primary obstacle keeping 3.1 billion people offline. The report, titled "Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era," warns that without targeted interventions, artificial intelligence could deepen existing inequalities even in areas with full mobile broadband coverage.
According to the research, 38% of the world's population lives within mobile broadband coverage but remains offline due to a lack of digital skills, user trust, and AI literacy. While physical coverage reaches 96% of people globally, the usage gap persists, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report estimates that closing this capability gap could add approximately $3.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with more than 90% of those gains flowing to LMICs.
AI presents both opportunities and risks. Voice assistants and multimodal applications can help low-literacy users bypass text input, but they also raise the bar for security and critical thinking. Users must now understand data privacy and identify threats such as fraud and deepfakes. The report cites World Bank statistics showing that generative AI literacy carries the highest wage premium—up to 36%—far exceeding returns for basic digital or traditional AI skills.
The authors argue that rapid AI adoption without basic digital training risks entrenching inequalities. They emphasize community-based delivery models, citing Huawei's Skills on Wheels initiative as a field-tested example. The program's solar-powered DigiTruck mobile classrooms bring hardware, connectivity, and hands-on training—including AI literacy—to off-grid regions. Since 2019, Skills on Wheels projects have reached over 130,000 people across 21 countries, with many more benefiting indirectly. A report by Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy found that 79% of DigiTruck trainees surveyed had passed on their new digital skills to family members and peers.
To bridge the usage gap, the report urges policymakers, telecom operators, and technology vendors to focus on four priorities: treating practical AI awareness, online safety, and information verification as a baseline national qualification; adopting multilingual voice and conversational interfaces across public services; scaling up mobile learning units through cross-sector partnerships; and measuring performance by independent task completion and fraud resilience rather than trainee numbers.
"Digital literacy can no longer be defined by static thresholds," said Tim Hatt, head of research and consultancy at GSMA Intelligence. "Connectivity alone is insufficient—capabilities, system design and trust must evolve together. To capture this multi-trillion-dollar opportunity, stakeholders must integrate layered AI literacy directly into daily livelihoods through trusted community channels."
Gavin Allen, Executive Editor-in-Chief at Huawei, added: "Mobile classrooms have demonstrated immense value in helping underserved populations break through physical and psychological barriers to technology. We will continue working alongside local governments and industry partners to drive digital literacy, ensuring that no one is left behind as we transition into the AI economy."
A new DigiTruck program will launch in France this autumn, covering several cities in the Île-de-France region and targeting low-income and underserved communities with digital skills training. The full report is available on the GSMA Intelligence research portal: https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/bridging-the-divide-enhancing-digital-literacy-in-the-ai-era.
