TRENDING
Jochai Ben-Avie, Mozilla Senior Global
Policy Manager
countries, and that’s due to the
ingenuity of Kenyans to find ways to
connect despite the relatively high cost
of data.”
Research reveals heavy use of
subsidised data in Rwanda
Internet use and access in Rwanda
has been exploding largely due to the
Government of Rwanda’s Vision 2020
to enable Rwanda to leapfrog the key
stages of industrialisation and transform
her agro-based economy into a service,
information-rich and knowledge-based
one that is globally competitive. While
Internet penetration is relatively high,
the diversity of content accessed by
participants in this study is relatively low.
This is of concern. Results of the research
including the following findings:
• Most participants only use a very
limited number of websites and
services, and make heavy use of
subsidised data.
• While the use of subsidised data
services allows mobile network
operators to retain a large number of
subscribers that use the Internet, an
Airtel representative was quoted as
saying the company is considering
ending their current zero-rating offers
because the majority of users that are
benefiting from zero-rated services
are no longer using other services, and
therefore are not spending on data.
• The types of bundles and packs from
the three MNOs keep changing
almost every week due to tough
competition going on, and some
promotion offers – including
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INTELLIGENTCIO
zero-rated services – are not even
publicised on the website to prevent
competitors access to the information.
• The majority of participants with mid-
or high-income when asked how they
would react if subsidised data was
no longer available, responded that
they may reduce the time spent on
the Internet, while participants with
low-incomes responded that they may
stop using the Internet.
• Significant access barriers remain,
especially in remote areas, including
the cost of data as well as illiteracy
and lack of understanding of foreign
languages to manipulate devices and
understand Internet content.
“Rwanda has been a real leader in
bringing people online, including
through innovative models like Internet
connected buses and other public Wi-Fi
efforts,” said Dr Alison Gillwald. “The
limited number of sites and services
Rwandans use points to the need for the
government and other stakeholders to
consider issues beyond access that leave
many Rwandans accessing just a small
part of the Internet.”
“While it’s inspiring to see the boom
in Internet access in Rwanda, many
Rwandans are still stuck in the walled
gardens of subsidised services and
haven’t experienced the full diversity of
the open Internet,” said Jochai Ben-
Avie. “Rwanda is a fascinating testbed
of different experiments in connecting
the unconnected and we hope the
Government of Rwanda and other
stakeholders will focus on solutions like
Equal Rating that seek to bring all of the
Internet to all people.”
The research sees opportunity and
a greater outlook in the future of
Internet use for these countries.
Infrastructural issues still need to be
addressed in rural areas, in particular to
increase quality of service, which would
allow users to choose any operator
offering the cheapest product. The
intensity of use could be enhanced
through redirecting universal services
funds directed at access, often by
subsidising the already planned roll-out
of services, towards supporting the
roll-out of public Wi-Fi points at all
public facilities such as schools, clinics,
libraries and police stations.
Other factors limiting the digital
participation of the poor and unskilled,
particularly women, will require policy
interventions than extend way beyond
digital policy to the much greater
challenges of human development.
Without interventions to redress
broader social and economic inequality
in society more, the entry of more
sophisticated services and devices will
amplify digital inequality. n
The main objective of the focus groups was to obtain qualitative information that
reflects the perceptions of female and male Internet users
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