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Determinants of mobile broadband use in developing economies: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Hasbi, Maude
  • Dubus, Antoine

Abstract

Broadband is seen as a vector of economic growth and social development. In the developing world, mobile technologies are widely adopted and mobile broadband is progressively rolled-out with high expectations on its impact on the countries’ development. We highlight what the determinants of mobile broadband use are in four Sub-Saharan countries. Using micro-level data coming from household surveys over 5 years, from 2013 to 2017, we show that SIM card ownership and being part of an online social community has a strong positive impact on mobile broadband use. We also highlight a positive correlation between digital inclusion and financial inclusion as mobile money users and bank account users are found to be more inclined to use mobile broadband. However, beyond apparent similarities, mobile broadband is used in different ways according to countries specificities. For instance, among the non-mobile owners in Nigeria, the unemployed are the most likely to use mobile broadband, most probably for job search practices, while it is rather used by students for information gathering in other countries. Finally we show that those excluded from mobile broadband use are the eldest, those with the lowest level of education, and women.

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  • Hasbi, Maude & Dubus, Antoine, 2020. "Determinants of mobile broadband use in developing economies: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(5).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:44:y:2020:i:5:s0308596120300367
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2020.101944
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    Cited by:

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    2. Danish, & Khan, Salahuddin & Haneklaus, Nils, 2023. "Sustainable economic development across globe: The dynamics between technology, digital trade and economic performance," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    3. Chen,Rong - DECIG, 2021. "A Demand-Side View of Mobile Internet Adoption in the Global South," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9590, The World Bank.
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    5. Granguillhome Ochoa, Rogelio & Lach, Samantha & Masaki, Takaaki & Rodríguez-Castelán, Carlos, 2022. "Mobile internet adoption in West Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Bacha, Radia & Gasmi, Farid & Metevier, Samantha, 2024. "Broadband adoption in Algeria and the structural determinants of its pace," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(6).
    7. Abdulqadir, Idris & Asongu, Simplice, 2021. "The asymmetric effect of internet access on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa: Insight from a dynamic panel threshold regression," MPRA Paper 109904, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Reenu Kumari & Sunil Kumar Singh, 2024. "Impact of ICT Infrastructure, Financial Development, and Trade Openness on Economic Growth: New Evidence from Low- and High-Income Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 7069-7098, June.
    9. Edward J Oughton & Niccol`o Comini & Vivien Foster & Jim W Hall, 2021. "Policy choices can help keep 4G and 5G universal broadband affordable," Papers 2101.07820, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2021.
    10. Balgobin, Yann & Dubus, Antoine, 2022. "Mobile phones, mobile Internet, and employment in Uganda," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(5).
    11. Oughton, Edward J. & Amaglobeli, David & Moszoro, Marian, 2023. "What would it cost to connect the unconnected? Estimating global universal broadband infrastructure investment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    12. Bahia,Kalvin & Castells,Pau & Masaki,Takaaki & Cruz,Genaro & Rodriguez Castelan,Carlos & Sanfelice,Viviane, 2021. "Mobile Broadband Internet, Poverty and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9749, The World Bank.
    13. Mutanu, Leah & Gupta, Khushi & Gohil, Jeet, 2022. "Leveraging IoT solutions for enhanced health information exchange," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    14. Naito, Hisahiro & Yamamoto, Shinnosuke, 2022. "Is better access to mobile networks associated with increased mobile money adoption? Evidence from the micro-data of six developing countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(6).
    15. Oughton, Edward J. & Comini, Niccolò & Foster, Vivien & Hall, Jim W., 2022. "Policy choices can help keep 4G and 5G universal broadband affordable," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    16. Dhahri, Sabrine & Omri, Anis & Mirza, Nawazish, 2024. "Information technology and financial development for achieving sustainable development goals," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    17. Damien Girollet, 2024. "Digital divides among microenterprises: Evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 1350-1380, March.
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    19. Hisahiro Naito & Shinnosuke Yamamoto, 2022. "Is Better Access to Mobile Networks Associated with Increased Mobile Money Adoption? Evidence from the Micro-data of Six Developing Countries," Tsukuba Economics Working Papers 2022-001, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mobile broadband use; Developing economy; Financial inclusion; Digital gap;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • L50 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - General
    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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