Hidden Content
In 2019 it will be impossible to ignore the unequal distribution of education, wealth and justice. Rich and poor will discover more about how the other half lives

In 2017, 193 million people gained access to the internet for the first time, many of them connecting via sub-$50 smartphones and taking advantage of rapidly falling data costs and ever expanding network coverage. Tech companies are now tailoring their products for a global audience. And in 2019, the web will become as diverse and complex as the global society it was built to connect.
The effects of this will be significant. In 2019 it will be impossible to ignore the unequal distribution of education, wealth and justice. Rich and poor will discover more about how the other half lives, creating dissatisfaction for the less fortunate and making it tough for the privileged to live in ignorance of reality.

In response, we will see more initiatives dedicated to increasing access to online education for those that need it most. eLearning platforms such as Coursera and edX do attract students from developing countries, but around 80 per cent already have a university degree. The next step will be helping those further down the ladder. This is the aim of initiatives such as India’s Digital Empowerment Foundation, whose Gyanpedia project is bringing elearning to rural communities. In 2019 we will see programmes like this spread across the developing world.
The truly global web will also make starting a business easier for all. Companies such as Kiva have already made it simple for online lenders to provide low interest loans to entrepreneurs in more than 80 countries. More platforms will join it, allowing the privileged to help people in areas of the world where capital and advice isn’t as easily accessible.
We have already seen the impact that better internet access can have on politics. Ten years ago, social media played a major role in mobilising communities during the Arab Spring. Now the channels have changed but the potential remains. Telegram and Whatsapp are the new homes of revolutionaries. Next year we will see further political turbulence in previously disconnected regions as people use the web to see what is really happening and what action they can take to bring about change.

Delivering the internet to areas of the world that are currently not online is the 21st-century equivalent of the 19th century’s transcontinental railroads, which connected people and places in ways that were previously unheard of. Its foundations are power and connectivity. Companies such as M-Kopa, based in Kenya, and the UK’s BBBOX are delivering pay-as-you-go solar energy to parts of Africa that are off the grid. Starlink, a SpaceX project, Loon, part of Alphabet, and my own company BuffaloGrid are developing diverse ways of delivering connectivity – in Starlink’s case, from outer space. This sector will continue to grow in 2019.
Those of us who have been connected for more than a quarter of a century now have seen first-hand how internet access can change lives. But we have also seen connectivity being used to spread misinformation and manipulate public opinion. The challenge now, as we move towards internet coverage for the entire world’s population, is to draw on our experience so far and make it something that works for everyone.