Our surveys are nationally representative and use methodology that is comparable across the full range of the data. This currently includes 16 countries (and will soon include four more) with 7 in Africa, 4 in Asia and 5 in Latin America, making it the most comprehensive database on mobile phone and Internet access and use in the Global South. The data was collected via 26,968 face-to-face interviews of households and individuals, and allows for disaggregation by gender, rural or urban setting, and age among other factors.

The numbers break out of the traditional connectivity narrative, and approach a nuanced understanding how individuals navigate the barriers to meaningful access and use. AfterAccess documents users’ experiences with online harassment, their preferences on social media sharing and their use of mobile phones and the Internet as enablers of economic activity. The result is a rich, holistic base of evidence which portrays market demand from the user perspective along the key themes of gender, youth, urban poor, microwork and digital finance. Country-specific context, local perspective and granular analyses provide the nuanced insight essential to policy-makers, development professionals and businesses.