Mobile World Congress 2015: Many countries are now going through an era of connecting to the Internet, much as the boom seen in developed markets a few years ago, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales told delegates yesterday.
This is happening because decent broadband is becoming a reality, and prices are coming down, he noted.
The next one billion people are coming online faster than people realise, said Wales. And, as more people are coming online, they are joining global conversations.
Wales noted Wikipedia has 500 million readers a month and is offered in 287 languages.
Wikipedia has created a project to help get more people access to the service. Wales explained Project Zero sees carriers zero-rate data costs for Wikipedia access, and this is driving uptake of data in countries where it is offered.
Money matters
Digital inclusion that extends to total financial inclusion matters because it brings many more people into the global economy, said MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga.
It is possible to "bend the arc" of history and include many more people in the banking system. This is important because a large percentage of the global population is getting left behind, he pointed out.
Banga explained about 2.5 billion people - half the world's adult population - do not have access to bank accounts, although half of these people hold down jobs. He noted getting these people into the banking system will benefit global economies because cash, which can be stolen, will be eliminated.
"We will have the Internet of everything, without the inclusion of everyone."
However, getting more people into the system requires partnerships, between private companies, and the state and private entities. Banga said currently most mobile money initiatives are not connected, which prevents seamless transactions.
* Nicola Mawson is in Barcelona courtesy of Samsung.
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