Empowering people
is a vital part of everyday life.
Getting
It is the key to unlocking the opportunities of the digital world.
But
people are still unconnected, and many others need help to access the benefits of digital.
Since Vodafone was founded in 1984, we’ve been working to close the digital divide and get everyone connected.
Here are some examples >
The UK’s first mobile phone call was made on the Vodafone network in
Today, we connect hundreds of millions of people in 15 countries across Europe and Africa.
In Africa, we continue to progress on the UN Partner2Connect goal to bring 4G to an additional
Since March 2022, we have added 4G technology to 1,408 sites across sub-Saharan Africa, providing more than 13 million more people with 4G coverage.
people in sub-Saharan countries.
Our networks on the land, in the sea and even in space are supporting our goal to provide coverage for all.
cable systems reach over 100 countries, enabling connectivity, carrying vast amounts of intercontinental data and powering the global economy.
Our
could eliminate coverage gaps once and for all.
And we’re exploring how Low Earth Orbit
Increasing mobile broadband coverage
Source: ITU
Globally, 32% of the world’s population – more than 2.6 billion people – are not using mobile internet, despite living in areas with mobile broadband coverage.
The digital usage gap remains almost eight times the size of the coverage gap.
We cannot solve this issue by ourselves, so work closely with the UN and industry partners to create solutions.
We're increasing smartphone access by lowering the cost of devices through several consumer initiatives.
These include the Easy2Own payment plan in South Africa, the everyone.connected campaign in the UK, and Safaricom’s Lipa Ndogo Ndogo (Pay Little by Little) in Kenya.
This is the first smartphone assembling plant in East Africa , providing affordable, entry-level devices to consumers.
In addition, Safaricom runs East Africa Device Assembly Kenya (EADAK).
Access is one challenge. But people also need help to get the most from their smart devices.
Vodafone Foundation runs several educational initiatives in this area. These include:
And refugee education programme
which has helped over 270k refugee and host community students access education.