Mobile Phone Becomes the Main Device for Internet Access, Cetic.br Indicates

TIC Households 2015 Survey also shows the relationship between devices and activities undertaken

 

The TIC Households 2015 survey by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), conducted annually by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), shows that in 2015 the mobile phone surpassed the computer as the most used device for Internet access.

Among network users who make up 58% of the population aged 10 or older, 89% access the Internet via mobile phone, while 65% do so through a desktop, laptop, or tablet. In the previous edition, it was 80% via computer and 76% via mobile phone.

In 2015, 35% of Internet users accessed the network solely via mobile phone, whereas in 2014, this proportion was 19%. Exclusive use via mobile phone occurs especially among users from less privileged social classes and those in rural areas. For instance, among individuals from the DE classes, 28% use the Internet, and most of them (65%) use the network only via mobile phone. The same is true for rural areas: 34% of the population in these areas are Internet users, and most of these people (56%) use it only via mobile phone.

This reality poses important challenges for the development of digital skills required for the new digital economy. Among Internet users who access only via mobile phone, the proportion of those engaging in online activities related to work or e-government, for example, is smaller than those users who also access the network via computers.

"The higher value-added activities are precisely those most demanded by the new digital economy. However, they presuppose more complex digital skills, which go beyond the instrumental use of everyday applications like social networks or messaging services, demanding greater adoption of new technologies and applications. In this sense, the computer plays a fundamental role in the effective appropriation of digital technologies by citizens — something that is more challenging for those who only access the network via mobile. By combining the use of various devices, each with its peculiarities, and more complex applications, it becomes possible to develop more sophisticated digital skills," emphasizes Alexandre Barbosa, manager at Cetic.br.

Access to Computers and Internet in Households

Also according to the new edition of the TIC Households 2015 survey, the proportion of households with computer access (50%) and those with Internet access (51%) remained stable compared to 2014. In class A households, Internet access is practically universalized.

The patterns of socioeconomic and regional inequality highlighted by the historical series of TIC Households remain visible in the 11th edition of the survey: in class DE only 16% of households are connected to the Internet, and in rural areas, this proportion is 22%, remaining well below the 56% of urban areas households. Approximately 30 million households from classes C and DE are disconnected, representing almost half of the total Brazilian households. “The Southeast Region has both the highest proportion of connected households and the highest number of disconnected households in absolute terms, which corroborates that, even in large urban centers, infrastructure and socioeconomic issues strongly influence access possibilities. The survey also points to the presence of the tablet as the exclusive computer in low-income households, suggesting this device as a cheaper alternative,” explains Barbosa.

Increasing Importance of Wireless Access via Wi-Fi Networks

Among households with Internet access, 79% had Wi-Fi in 2015, an increase of 13 percentage points. This data is reinforced by the presence of portable devices like notebooks, tablets, and mobile phones, especially among higher-class households where the coexistence of multiple devices is greater.

Moreover, 56% of users state they have used the Internet in someone else's house (friend, neighbor, or family), making this the second most popular access location, especially among mobile Internet users. Regarding the type of connection used by mobile Internet users, Wi-Fi access (87%) surpassed access via 3G and 4G networks (72%).

Increasing Proportion of E-Government Service Users

For the population of Internet users aged 16 and over, the TIC Households survey also investigates the use of e-government services in seven areas, such as health, education, taxes, and document acquisition, etc. In 2015, the proportion of individuals seeking information or carrying out services in at least one of these areas was 59%, an increase of 9 percentage points compared to the previous year.

The use of these services shows differences among Internet users according to their socioeconomic characteristics. The users who most sought information or used government services online are those with higher education (81% of those with higher education and 61% with secondary education) and income (86% of users with income exceeding 10 minimum wages and 77% with income between 5 and 10 minimum wages).

In its 11th edition, the TIC Households 2015 survey conducted interviews in over 23,000 households across the national territory, between November 2015 and June 2016, aiming to measure the use of information and communication technologies, individual access to computers and the Internet, activities developed online, access locations, usage frequency, e-commerce, and e-government, among other indicators.

To access the survey in full and review the historical series, visit https://cetic.br/pesquisa/domicilios/. Compare the evolution of the indicators through the data visualization available at: https://data.cetic.br/cetic/explore?idPesquisa=TIC_DOM.

About Cetic.br

The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, a department of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on the development of the network in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. For more information visit https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br

The Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a civil, private non-profit entity that implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. NIC.br's permanent activities include coordinating domain name registration – Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding to, and addressing security incidents in Brazil - CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), researching and studying network and operations technologies – Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies – Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implementing and operating the Internet Exchange Points – IX.br (https://ix.br/), facilitating the participation of the Brazilian community in the global Web development and supporting the formulation of public policies – Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to Internet use and development in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting the technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the services offered. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, where all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its creations is the 10 Principles for the Governance and Use of the Internet (https://www.cgi.br/principios). For more information visit https://www.cgi.br/.

Press Contacts:

S2Publicom
https://www.s2publicom.com.br
Twitter / Facebook / Youtube: S2publicom
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Carolina Carvalho - carolina.carvalho@s2publicom.com.br - (11) 3027-0226

NIC.br Communication Advisory
Caroline D’Avo – Communication Manager – caroline@nic.br
Everton Teles Rodrigues – Communication Coordinator – everton@nic.br
Soraia Marino – Communication Assistant – soraia@nic.br

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/NICbr/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/comuNICbr/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicbrvideos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nic.br
Telegram: https://telegram.me/nicbr

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.