In MWC Barcelona, operators and authorities discussed how to connect the quarter of Brazilian population who do not use mobile internet services despite living within broadband coverage.
21 March, 2023, Bras lia: The Brazilian mobile industry has joined forces for digital inclusion. During MWC Barcelona, the GSMA, the global mobile industry association, with operators Algar, Claro, TIM and Vivo, launched the report Closing the usage gap in Brazil. Key barriers to mobile internet adoption and use.' The study was presented to the Ministry of Communications, the Federal Court of Accounts and the regulatory authority Anatel. The initiative is part of We Care, a global initiative led by the GSMA to support the mobile industry's commitment in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).
The majority of Brazilians who cannot enjoy the benefits of mobile connectivity face demand-side barriers rather than constraints linked to network reach, says Lucas Gallitto, Head of Latin America, GSMA. The usage gap is today the main challenge to universal access. By uniting the industry and facilitating a dialogue between the public and private sectors, We Care offers a platform to address it. With this initiative, the Brazilian industry sends a clear message: we care about connecting everyone to the mobile broadband.
According to the report, around 25% of the Brazilian population (54 million people) live within coverage of a network but do not use mobile internet services. The study highlights three main barriers to overcome this situation:
Affordability. In Brazil, an entry-level broadband subscription costs less than 2% of gross national income per capita, a cost aligned with the affordability targets set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The cost of an internet-enabled handset, however, is 6% of monthly GDP per capita, significantly higher than the level seen for the leader countries that have the largest online populations (2.5%). The weight of this barrier is much greater for the lower income segments of the population, and calls for further collaboration to address the issue of handset affordability.
Taxation. Brazil imposes several taxes on mobile services and handsets, including state VAT (ICMS), federal VAT (IPI), municipal services tax (ISS), PIS/COFINS, FUST and FUNTELL charges. Although tax burdens such as ICMS have been reduced in 2022, the proportion of mobile service costs that are driven by taxation in Brazil still remains among the highest globally, equating to approximately 30% of operators' net income. Reducing these sector specific taxes result in more affordable services and handsets for end consumers.
Digital literacy. According to an ITU survey, the percentage of people with basic ICT skills in Brazil is 21%, compared to 62% in leading countries. Considering standard ICT skills, the comparison is 12% versus 46%, while for advanced skills, the percentage in Brazil is 2% versus 8% in leading countries.
Based on the diagnosis, the mobile industry proposed to the authorities a series of public policy recommendations focusing on:
Improve digital literacy by developing a policy impact analysis on current government programmes and an improvement plan in synergy with other digital instruments already made available by telecom companies.
Reform the tax policy of the mobile sector, promoting a simple, transparent and symmetric system, compatible with connectivity goals and a more efficient use of the Universal Telecommunications Service Fund (FUST in Portuguese).
Boost investment incentives through appropriate fiscal and regulatory conditions, public-private partnerships for network deployment in remote areas and the adoption of additional investment alternatives from other players in the digital ecosystem.
The report highlights a series of initiatives put in place by mobile operators in Brazil to address barriers such as digital literacy. For example, Algar's Talents of the Future promotes the development of technical and behavioural skills on young people aged 15 and over. Claro, in partnership with the University of S o Paulo (USP), developed Campus Mobile', a competition for university students and recent graduates focused in various study areas including Education and Smart Cities. TIM partnered with other companies to strengthen the agenda of female empowerment though the project Positive Women'. Vivo's Think Big Tech' program trains educators and students in technology-related topics.
Through the We Care campaign, the mobile industry in Brazil is looking to join forces and collaborate with the Government and authorities to achieve shared goals of connecting everyone to the opportunities offered by mobile broaband connectivity.
Closing the usage gap in Brazil. Key barriers to mobile internet adoption and use' is available for download here.
-ENDS-
About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today's biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
We invite you to find out more at gsma.com
Like what you read? Share.
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Open
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
15/01/2026
15 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Reaches 3.0 million Customers with Starlink Dir...
15/01/2026
Views to free streaming service U grew by 15%, average monthly active users by 23% and registrations by 18%
UKTV's channels achieved record viewing share, ...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
Sky Sports to show Final Stage of inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup
Sky and FIFA have agreed an exclusive new partnership whi...
15/01/2026
Thursday 15 January 2026
The official trailer for the second season of Seth Mac...
15/01/2026
Wuppertal January 15, 2026
Riedel RefCam Takes Center Court in German Basketba...
15/01/2026
Arvato Systems Named Launch Partner for AWS European Sovereign Cloud
As a launch partner for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, Arvato Systems enables customer...
14/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 13th January, 2026 ITV, one of the UKs leading broadcasters, has selected Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), to ...
14/01/2026
Steiger Media's adoption of Calrec's compact Argo M console not only makes its innovative new hybrid truck faster, more efficient, and agile, but also e...
14/01/2026
Press Release: The Boston Globe Names Cartesian a Top Place to Work in 2025
January 14, 2026
News
Cartesian - January 14, 2026 - EINPresswire.com - Sp...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Marcus Theatres Announce Five-Year Extension for Cinema ACE and Ent...
14/01/2026
Comscore and Santikos Entertainment Announce Five-Year Circuit Wide Commitment t...
14/01/2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Sky News announces Cathy Newman to lead flagship new political programme
Sky News today announces that award-winning journalist and ...
14/01/2026
The first stamp of An Post's 2026 Stamp Programme, marking 100 Years of Broadcasting, was unveiled at the GPO by Patrick O'Donovan TD, Minister for Cult...
14/01/2026
It's official! Beverley Callard has landed in Carrigstown. The beloved actor, known for her unforgettable roles and iconic screen presence, is joining the c...
13/01/2026
Independent media in Brazil and Colombia is facing an urgent crisis of traditional business models alongside a deteriorating security environment, according to ...
13/01/2026
Luxembourg, December 17, 2025 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading spa...
13/01/2026
Written and executive produced by Steve Lightfoot and Angela LaManna, produced b...
13/01/2026
New updates to Hitmaker Expansion from Celemony and Softube Edit pitch-perfect vocals with Melodyne Essential and get radio-ready guitar tones from Softube...
13/01/2026
Live broadcasts from RT 2FM Breakfast with Carl, Roz & Aisling, RT Radio 1 Tod...
12/01/2026
Spotify's new co-CEOs, Alex Norstr m and Gustav S derstr m, start off the new year with a message of renewed leadership, creative responsibility, and what&#...
12/01/2026
At Spotify, we listen to a lot of music. And every year, our global editors and artist partnerships teams come together to spotlight the emerging voices we beli...
12/01/2026
Spotify's global editors and Songwriter & Publisher Partnerships team spend their days immersed in new music, tracking the writers behind the songs breaking...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan and increases its support for the J...
12/01/2026
X-Rite and Rhopoint Launch Rhopoint PANTORA Aesthetix to Streamline Creation of...
12/01/2026
12 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Launches 5G Pilot in Lviv Lviv, January 12, 2026 - VEON, a global digital operator (Nasdaq: VEON), today announces that Kyivsta...
12/01/2026
Monday 12 January 2026
The ultimate betrayal: Harry and Jamie Redknapp, Paul Me...
12/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz opens larger office in Japan to increase its support for the Jap...
12/01/2026
Welcome to the AVECO team: introducing new members of management
At AVECO, we are continuing to implement our #newAVECO strategy, which aims to build an even s...
12/01/2026
For the first time in the nine-year history of Dancing with the Stars, the first...
In MWC Barcelona, operators and authorities discussed how to connect the quarter of Brazilian population who do not use mobile internet services despite living within broadband coverage.
