A new mobile connectivity report has found Pacific nations are failing to access mobile internet despite the network coverage expanding across the region in recent years.
It highlighted affordability and digital skills as the most serious barriers, which provided a stark comparison with East Asian nations during the Closing the Mobile Connectivity Gap in Developing Asia Pacific study.
The Global System for Mobile Association Intelligence's report commissioned by the Asian Development Bank found more than five out of every six households - about 11.9 million of the Pacific's 14.3 million people - live within reach of the 4G network.
But only 36 per cent, or about 5.15 million, are accessing the internet compared with the 93 per cent connectivity in the East Asian region.
The report's figures indicate 1.2 billion out of the 4.3 billion people living across developing Asia and the Pacific remain offline, accounting for about 46 percent of the world's unconnected population.
Although 98 per cent of the greater region's population lives within reach of high-speed internet on mobile phones, tablets and other compatible devices without the need of a fixed broadband connection, about 1.1 billion people, who have access to the broadband coverage, are not using mobile internet.
The report identified not only device affordability and limited digital skills, but additionally safety and security concerns and a lack of relevant online content as further barriers preventing people from connecting up with the rest of the world.
The Pacific islands face additional challenges in network coverage with a coverage gap of just 16 per cent.
The region also has a significant technological divide, with 59 per cent of mobile internet users relying on basic 2G feature phones or 3G smartphones rather than upgraded 4G or 5G devices.
The report found women across developing Asia and the Pacific are 12 percent less likely than men to use mobile internet. The gender gap is particularly pronounced in the Pacific islands, where women are more than 25 per cent less likely to use mobile internet than men.
Global System for Mobile Association chief regulatory officer and foundation president, John Giusti, said closing the mobile internet usage gap was essential for greater development, with demonstrated benefits for education, healthcare, economic growth and reducing poverty.
He said connectivity progress would require policies that encouraged more financial investment, alongside coordinated efforts to address these barriers that prevent Pacific Islanders from getting online in the first place.
The report also warned the Pacific and developing Asia could fall 18 percentage points short of the International Telecommunication Union's 2030 universal connectivity target without any additional investment. It estimates that $A451 billion in investment will be needed across the region to meet the target.
Closing the 4G connectivity gap within the next four years could generate an estimated increase in gross domestic product by $A328.5 billion across developing Asia and the Pacific, the report said.
The report calls on governments, regulators and private-sector operators for coordinated action to expand network infrastructure, make devices more affordable and improve digital skills.
