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...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
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...
13/03/2026
Spotify has always been built around your taste. More than 80% of listeners say personalization is what they love most about us. Now we're taking that even ...
13/03/2026
The new Spotify Legends Club has opened its doors. Its members: select German-sp...
13/03/2026
Pushing drum sampler technology into new territories
The latest version of Klevgrand's software drum sampler has just arrived, boasting a newly designe...
13/03/2026
Expanded headphone support & engine improvements
IK Multimedia's recently introduced ARC On-Ear system brings the power of their monitoring-correction s...
13/03/2026
Extra sound collections, more presets & new Keys category
UVI's rhythm and pattern instrument has just received a major update that introduces four new ...
13/03/2026
13 Mar 2026
VEON Delivers Record Digital Growth: 4Q25 Digital Revenues Grow 84%...
13/03/2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Sky Adds Blood on Snow to Original Film Slate in Acquisiti...
13/03/2026
RT has announced today that Rick O'Shea is the new presenter of Arena RT Radio 1's flagship weeknight arts and culture programme. Rick has been pres...
13/03/2026
Lights! Camera! Action! The 98th Oscars set to air live as RT backs the Irish n...
12/03/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 11th March, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dyna...
12/03/2026
In Latin America, women are shaping music and defining its future. To kick off t...
12/03/2026
En Am rica Latina, las mujeres est n moldeando la m sica y definiendo su futuro....
12/03/2026
Let's turn back the clock 20 years: The music landscape was a world away fro...
12/03/2026
Bad Bunny is no stranger to Spotify's Billions Club. In fact, he has a whopp...
12/03/2026
Spotify was at the London Book Fair this week, joining conversations across the publishing industry about how people can make reading part of their daily lives....
12/03/2026
Mastering tool improves mono compatibility
Tokyo Dawn Labs' Ohlhorst Digital range is a series of mastering-focused plug-ins developed by Jan Ohlhorst, ...
12/03/2026
Wave FX processor integrated into four products
Lewitt have teamed up with Elgato to create a new processor for the company's Wave Next product range, i...
12/03/2026
Free tool for annotating audio files
Mix Notes is a new, free iOS App that provides users with a simple way to annotate their audio files. It's been cre...
12/03/2026
Side-chain ducking tool gets an upgrade
Devious Machines' popular side-chaining and envelope-shaping tool has just been kitted out with an improved enve...
12/03/2026
Ceremony to take place on 16 April 2026
The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have revealed the full shortlist for this year's MPG Awards, which will be takin...
12/03/2026
Emulates three classic dbx 160 variants
The latest arrival to Overloud's Gem Series plug-in range faithfully recreates not one, but three versions of th...
12/03/2026
New granular soft synth announced
Said to be their most advanced software synthesizer to date, Baby Audio's latest release has been built on a new granu...
12/03/2026
Latest version now live!
Edit 11 March 2026 - Bitwig Studio 6 is now live, and available for all to download!
The latest version of Bitwig's DAW softwa...
12/03/2026
Latest free eBook now available!
Designed for recording engineers, audio-technology students and technically minded musicians, our latest free eBook deliver...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz Cybersecurity expands SITLine network encryptor portfolio - more...
12/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to showcase future-proof EMC testing solutions at EMV 2026 Rohde & Schwarz will participate in EMV 2026, Europe's premier trade fair and c...
12/03/2026
Modern media operations demand a platform that unites automation, orchestration, and human oversight without compromise. In this post, we explore the six key te...
12/03/2026
A deep dive into the platform
Architecture The Blue Lucy platform follows a distributed microservices architecture, meaning the overall operational capability...
12/03/2026
Orchestration platform enables broadcasters to deploy multiple AI models safely with full auditability, rights protection, and regulatory oversight.
LONDON, En...
12/03/2026
Wuppertal March 12, 2026
Riedel Expands Managed Technology Division in the Ame...
12/03/2026
Advanced Media Server Delivers Double the Channel Density at Half the Cost per C...
12/03/2026
The Late Late Show Show St Patrick's Day special
Dancing with the Stars f...
11/03/2026
First Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) deployment of the emergency.lu platform for refugees and their host communities' use provides dependable broadband for humani...
11/03/2026
Following a successful first series, UKTV today announces the commission of two ...
11/03/2026
Wednesday 11 March 2026
Sky and CANAL launch new partnership to develop English-language drama
Sky and CANAL are today announcing a strategic co commissioni...
11/03/2026
NTCA, Cartesian Release New Report on the Business Case for USF
March 11, 2026
Network Economics
News
NTCA - March 11, 2026 - As the FCC and Congr...
11/03/2026
TELL US YOUR (SHORT) STORIES
The 2026 RT Short Story Competition is now open for entries
Recognising and rewarding the best new Irish fiction writing for...
11/03/2026
RT 's The Traitors Ireland is among the nominees for the 2026 Celtic Media Festival Torc Awards for Excellence, announced today....
10/03/2026
10 Mar 2026
VEON's Largest Market Pakistan Almost Triples Mobile Spectrum i...
09/03/2026
Contains all six dual-ensemble libraries
VSL's Duality Strings series offers an intriguing alternative to your average string library, capturing two str...
09/03/2026
Outstanding Contribution To UK Music
Photo: Samuel Bradley
Ahead of their upcoming MPG Awards, the Music Producers Guild (MPG) have revealed the latest win...
09/03/2026
Two new high-quality DI boxes announced
Boasting some impressive technical specifications and versatile routing options, Strymon's latest active DI boxe...
09/03/2026
Latest MPE-capable Soundbox library released
The follow-up release for Sonora Cinematic's Pure Nylon has arrived, and becomes the latest addition to the...
09/03/2026
Popular wireless mic head design revived
Sennheiser have revealed that the MD 9235, a cardioid mic head designed to pair up with their handheld wireless sys...
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.
