A new report released at UNESCO's Digital Learning Week in Paris warns that the lack of digital literacy skills, not mobile broadband coverage, is the primary barrier keeping 3.1 billion people offline. The report, titled 'Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era,' was authored by GSMA Intelligence in collaboration with Huawei and published on 10 September 2026.
According to the research, 38% of the world's population lives in areas covered by mobile broadband but remains offline due to a shortage of digital skills, user trust, and AI literacy. Physical mobile broadband coverage already reaches 96% of people worldwide. The report suggests that closing this usage gap could add approximately $3.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with more than 90% of those gains flowing to low- and middle-income countries.
Artificial intelligence could act as both a bridge and a barrier for underserved communities. AI-powered voice assistants and applications that process images, audio, and video can help low-literacy users bypass the need to input text. However, the report warns that these tools also raise the security and critical-thinking standards required to participate safely. Users must now understand data privacy and identify risks such as fraud and deepfakes. The research cites World Bank statistics showing that GenAI literacy represents the highest-value skill category, with wage premiums up to 36%, far exceeding returns for both digital and traditional AI skills.
Without targeted interventions in basic digital training, the authors warn, rapid AI adoption risks entrenching existing inequalities even in areas with full network coverage. The report emphasizes the need for community-based delivery models, citing Huawei's Skills on Wheels initiative as a field-tested example. Its solar-powered DigiTruck mobile classrooms bring hardware, rural connectivity, and hands-on training, including AI literacy, to off-grid regions. Since 2019, training courses delivered by Skills on Wheels projects have reached more than 130,000 people across 21 countries. A report on DigiTruck by Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy shows that 79% of DigiTruck trainees surveyed had passed on their newly acquired digital skills to family members and peers.
To bridge the usage gap, the report urges policymakers, telecom operators, and technology vendors to work together and 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.
Tim Hatt, head of research and consultancy at GSMA Intelligence, said, 'Digital literacy can no longer be defined by static thresholds. 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.
