GSMA reports published on Sept. 15 and 16, 2026, warn that billions of people risk missing the benefits of artificial intelligence because mobile broadband coverage has not translated into affordable, meaningful internet use. The GSMA Intelligence report Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Digital Literacy in the AI Era, produced with Huawei and presented during UNESCO's Digital Learning Week in Paris, says 38% of people remain offline despite mobile broadband access, representing a usage gap affecting 3.1 billion people. The GSMA's State of Mobile Internet Connectivity (SOMIC) Report 2026 separately says more than 3.4 billion people do not use mobile internet, although more than 90% live in covered areas. The figures reflect different measures: 3.1 billion refers to people living within coverage who remain offline, while 3.4 billion refers to all non-users. Smartphone affordability is the main barrier in surveyed low- and middle-income countries, followed by limited digital skills, while rising memory and chip costs linked to AI infrastructure and data-center demand are increasing entry-level handset prices. The reports say closing the skills or mobile-usage gap could add about $3.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030, with more than 90% benefiting low- and middle-income countries. They identify AI literacy, online safety, critical thinking and trust as essential to ensuring that AI narrows rather than widens inequality.