Digital divide stories

Smart appliances are spreading faster in the Global South than Western Europe, as households chase lower running costs over green credentials.

One NZ logs 17.4% New Year mobile data spike and 50% holiday satellite user jump as Kiwis head off-grid and demand always-on coverage.

CelcomDigi finishes IOI estate-wide 4G rollout, linking over 100 plantations and nearby rural communities for digital operations and services.

Virgin Media O2 will donate 12,000 refurbished smartphones in 2026 to help tackle digital exclusion and cut electronic waste across the UK.

Canada commits to expanding high-speed internet to 1,922 rural and Indigenous homes across 28 communities in Saskatchewan.

CelcomDigi completes over 100 new 4G sites across IOI plantations, boosting estate connectivity, automation plans and rural coverage in Malaysia.

Huawei kit swap-out blamed as London’s 5G speeds and reliability fall behind Glasgow and other UK cities, new analysis suggests.

Progress predicts 2026 will mark a shift from AI pilots to orchestrated, governed platforms, widening the gap between leaders and laggards.

UBC teams with Vancouver startup Caseway on a court-trained legal AI, aiming to curb hallucinations and widen access to justice in Canada.

Bitget deepens its UNICEF partnership to boost Cambodian girls’ digital skills through game design, coding and youth-led Game Jam events.

Thai AI study platform RevisionSuccess launches hyper-personalised learning paths and teacher dashboards to cut classroom workloads.

EE becomes first major UK provider to bundle WiFi 7 routers with all Full Fibre plans as it readies for speeds up to 8.5Gbps.

Nominet’s GBP £10,000 GiveHub grant will help Hulme Grammar widen digital inclusion and STEM access for more than 1,000 Oldham youngsters.

The global digital economy is forecast to hit USD $28 trillion by 2026, growing nearly three times faster than overall world output.

The global digital economy is forecast to surge 9.5% in 2026 to USD $28 trillion, triple the pace of overall worldwide economic growth.

CelcomDigi rolls out nationwide flood relief, powering WiFi, charging and targeted alerts to support over 50,000 displaced Malaysians.

Virgin Media O2 donates hundreds of refurbished phones and free data via Multibank hubs to help tackle the UK’s widening digital divide.

Manchester’s FourNet has scooped Palatine’s inaugural Leadership in Social Value award after generating GBP £2,660,194 in social value.

Autonomous AI and tougher rules are set to transform tech in Australia and New Zealand in 2026, reshaping security and digital sovereignty.

Indosat to spin off fibre network into FibreCo joint venture with Arsari and Northstar, valuing assets at IDR Rp14.6 trillion.