This week (16^th Oct – 22^nd October), UK Charity the Good Things Foundation has launched its annual digital inclusion campaign, Get Online Week.  

The focus of Get Online Week is to helps people to get online for the first time - safely, confidently, and affordably. Mobile UK stands in support of these digital inclusion campaign goals set in place by the Good Things Foundation.

The stats

• 2.9 billion people are digitally excluded worldwide (ITU, 2021).
• 10.2 million people lack the basic digital skills needed to use the internet (Lloyds Consumer Digital Index, 2022).
• 6.9 million people in the UK will remain digitally excluded if nothing is done to help them (CEBR, 2018).
• 1 in 5 people have stopped using products or services because they’re only available online.
• Three quarters of people would feel cut off from society if they didn’t have access to the internet.

As part of this campaign, partners in the National Digital Inclusion Network will be hosting hundreds of free digital skills events to help people to get online safely, confidently, and affordably.  

Digital inclusion is even more important than ever before, and there is more that can be done to turn the digitally excluded into the digitally included. Mobile UK has produced a report entitled ‘From Exclusion to Inclusion’ that explores the growing role of mobile connectivity plays in the digital inclusion debate, and the need for public policy to better consider its impact.

With digital inclusion at the forefront of Get Online Week 2023, read our report here to find out how mobile connectivity can further narrow the digital divide.

Visit here to find out more about Get Online Week and attend the events taking place throughout the week.