Connectivity is a fundamental requirement in crisis settings, both for those directly affected and for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Its absence and loss can have profound humanitarian implications, as recent crises have illustrated around the world.
Data suggests that people in need of assistance are more likely to live in areas without coverage – but detailed information is not readily available in most settings. To help meet this need, the GSMA has recently published a report, ‘The Humanitarian Mobile Coverage Gap’, providing data on mobile coverage for people in need of humanitarian assistance in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria.
Recent discussions highlight relevance
The report was recently highlighted at three events that the GSMA attended, highlighting its importance and relevance in the sector. First, GSMA hosted the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster’s Annual Meeting, where the Connectivity in Crisis research series was presented and discussed. Second, GSMA attended Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships week in Geneva, where a panel focused on humanitarian coverage gaps and how to close them. And thirdly, we shared key insights with key stakeholders in discussions on the sidelines of the recent Humanitarian Data Forum, hosted by OCHA’s Centre for Humanitarian Data in the Hague.
In discussions with key partners, several themes emerged. First, the need for a stronger case for connectivity was highlighted. Stakeholders agreed that connectivity is often seen as a “nice to have” in comparison to food and shelter, and that donors and partners can overlook the very real lifesaving services and access to information it enables. Connectivity, in the modern age, is foundational both to an effective humanitarian response and for people affected by crises to navigate them.
Second, this essential nature of connectivity needs to be effectively communicated to crowd in new partners, supporters, advocates and funders to close the humanitarian coverage gap. Especially considering the current humanitarian funding climate, it is essential to engage new types of donors and catalyse new types of partnerships and to think creatively and with a long-term perspective to address this challenge. The GSMA’s new report begins to look at some of the partnership models that can help to close the coverage gap. The report also illustrates how technology promises to change the connectivity landscape, for example through greater access to satellite-based services.
A need for high quality, actionable data
You cannot effectively plan for what you have not measured. Understanding the boundaries of connectivity infrastructure is essential to understanding and closing mobile coverage gaps. The results from our study vary, but it is clear that many crisis-affected groups are disproportionately less covered by mobile networks than the broader populations of the country in which they live. For example, 54% of IDPs in Nigeria live in an area with at least 2G network coverage, compared to 93% of the total population; and 38% of people targeted for assistance by the 2023 DRC Humanitarian Response Plan have 4G coverage, compared to 48% of the total population.
Data like this, especially when broken down to specific geographic areas can support a range of key decisions for the humanitarian sector – such as in which regions needs assessments could be conducted by phone where conflict or fragility may make it impossible in person – as well as help coalitions, such as the Connectivity for Refugees Initiative, to identify areas in need of support to bringing meaningful connectivity to those who may need it most. The GSMA hopes to be able to scale this type of analysis to a range of new settings in the future.
This work should happen alongside the broader discussions in the humanitarian sector related to integrating novel data sources for evidence-driven decisions, something which was a major discussion theme at the Humanitarian Data Forum.
Setting standards, goals and KPIs
However, articulating the problem will only get you so far. It will likely be important that stakeholders across sectors agree on standards, goals and common indicators relating to the provision of connectivity for crisis-affected people. It is likely that these will be rooted in the Meaningful Connectivity Framework, stemming from the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, and already widely accepted across digital development actors. This will help to target cooperation around issues related to infrastructure, affordability, devices, skills, and safety.
Many of these can be effectively addressed through direct partnerships between humanitarian/development actors and mobile network operators.
Conclusions
Closing the humanitarian coverage gap is essential for the sector to deliver on its promises of dignified, efficient and effective delivery of aid. However, to do this, several steps are needed:
- the requirement for connectivity needs to be clearly articulated;
- the problem scaled and accurately measured;
- the partnerships and funding models secured;
- and the goals, standards and KPIs for the sector agreed and set.
New ways of working and communicating this issue are essential. By working across sectors, we can develop new pragmatic approaches to closing the humanitarian coverage gap and ensuring all crisis-affected populations have access to mobile connectivity.
