Mobile Internet Adoption in West Africa

Carlos Rodriguez Castelan (), Rogelio Granguillhome Ochoa (), Samantha Lach and Takaaki Masaki ()
Additional contact information
Carlos Rodriguez Castelan: World Bank
Rogelio Granguillhome Ochoa: World Bank
Takaaki Masaki: World Bank
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Carlos Rodríguez-Castelán

No 14151, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Mobile broadband internet is the main technology through which individuals access the internet in developing countries. Understanding the barriers to broadband adoption is thus a priority in designing policies aiming to expand access and close the digital divide across socioeconomic groups and territories. This paper exploits data from harmonized household expenditure surveys in seven countries in West Africa in 2018/19 — a subregion with one of the lowest levels of mobile internet penetration in the world — to identify the main factors that limit mobile broadband internet adoption. Results show that low levels of household consumption and prices of services are two key constraints. One standard deviation increase in household expenditure, about US$65 per capita per month, is associated with a 6.5 percentage point rise in the probability of adoption, while one standard deviation drop in the price of mobile internet services, about US$3.60, increases the probability of adoption by 2.4 percentage points. Other determinants include demographic characteristics (sex, age, language, urban location), socioeconomic features (educational attainment, sector of employment), and other factors linked to policy (access to electricity, ownership of assets, alternative means of internet access). Results are robust to specifications focusing only in areas with mobile internet coverage (3G).

Keywords: household consumption; mobile broadband; internet adoption; West Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C25 C52 D12 L86 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2021-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-ict and nep-pay
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published - published in: Technology in Society, 2022, 68, 101845

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Related works:
Journal Article: Mobile internet adoption in West Africa (2022)
Working Paper: Mobile Internet Adoption in West Africa (2021)
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