Not every line is connected equally: evidence from Deyang’s mobile users

In the last decade, the rising mobile penetration rate across the globe seems to have bridged the conventional first-order digital divide inequality between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. However, questions remain about the state of Internet usage among those who have gained access to the mobile communications network. We argue that the mobile penetration rate cannot be taken as a standalone measurement of access equality. We propose a novel conceptualization of ‘access’ by including both connection and service. Mobile Internet usage data from one of China’s major telecommunications carriers are utilized to test our theoretical proposition. The results show that an Internet/non-Internet divide exists in the mobile population. In particular, rural mobile-only subscribers are identified as the most disadvantaged users. To take full advantage of mobile technology, it is suggested that the national government should shift the emphasis of universal service from adding more lines to stimulating demand from end users.