Their new report “The Power of Offline Internet: Beyond the Binary of Connectivity”, reframes how we think about Internet connectivity through the lens of offline Internet technologies and their proven capabilities in bridging the global digital divide.

While conventional approaches divide the have and have-nots of internet access, “Offline Internet” suggests a gray area—a continuum of connectivity, where innovative hardware and software solutions, localized content, digital skills, and supportive policies enable meaningful access to a wide array of digital content without the need for permanent Internet connectivity. Among its findings, this new report highlights the need for a deeper understanding of how even indirect access to the world wide web can help address the range and complexity of digital disparities communities face worldwide, including poverty, censorship, and lack of infrastructure, and proposes a new gold standard for connectivity in achieving universal access. OLIreport

Some of the report’s key messages center around the urgent need to address global digital exclusion, the redefinition of access to Information and connectivity via the offline Internet, the need for localized content and for software innovations to be universally accessible and the exploration of alternatives for the integration of Offline Internet strategies into broader digital inclusion policies and infrastructure development as a pathway towards global equitable access to information.

Click here to access the report.