While mobile Internet continues to explode across Asia, recent research by the Telenor Group in four of its regional markets suggests that not all citizens are receiving access to the benefits of connectivity.
The research note on the unconnected senior citizens of Asia draws upon customer data from four Telenor markets - India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia. The findings suggest that the senior segment in some of these markets represents as little as 2 per cent of active mobile users, with still fewer using smartphones.
According to the Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute, the number of senior citizens is set to increase by 500,000 each year. By 2021, for the first time the country will have more elderly than youth, with senior citizens comprising a fifth of the population.
This has prompted the government to speed up the process of setting policies and a strategy to serve this ageing population. This includes the Senior Citizens National Plan, aiming to prepare the elderly on life-long learning processes and emphasising the importance of valuing and honouring senior citizens.
Research from Michigan State University indicates that increased Internet access for seniors results in decreased stress and depression. The study of 22,000 retired citizens in the US over six years shows that connectivity and online communication has a significant positive impact on the elderly and reduces isolation.
The Internet plays a crucial role in reducing loneliness and boredom, while motivating them to expand social networks and form new relationships.
In Thailand, Total Access Communication (DTAC), Telenor's local business unit, reported 6 per cent of users being over 60, although a mere 2 per cent over 65. This possibly reflects a more prosperous senior generation in a country with an average life expectancy of 74.2 years, as compared with only 60.2 in India.
Usage within these demographics also presents an interesting contrast to India and Bangladesh. The figures show that data penetration among the elderly is comparatively high in Thailand, with 56 per cent of users over 60 and 50 per cent over 65 using data.
Smartphones, at 50-55 per cent among the two upper age groups, far outnumber feature phones, and mirrors the situation in similarly middle-income Malaysia.
Among the top two demographics, the male/female split, while pronounced, is nevertheless encouraging, with 19 per cent of Thai female users over 60 years of age and 15 per cent over 65 using data.
Sigve Brekke, Telenor's executive vice president and head of Asia operations, said yesterday that given the company's vision of "Internet for All", it is a source of concern that senior citizens in its Asian markets are not fully receiving the benefits of the mobile internet.
"This is particularly true as several Asian societies anticipate increasingly ageing populations. We must work to achieve connectivity for all, not just the young," he said.
According to the Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute, the number of senior citizens is set to increase by 500,000 each year. By 2021, for the first time the country will have more elderly than youth, with senior citizens comprising a fifth of the population.
This has prompted the government to speed up the process of setting policies and a strategy to serve this ageing population. This includes the Senior Citizens National Plan, aiming to prepare the elderly on life-long learning processes and emphasising the importance of valuing and honouring senior citizens.
Research from Michigan State University indicates that increased Internet access for seniors results in decreased stress and depression. The study of 22,000 retired citizens in the US over six years shows that connectivity and online communication has a significant positive impact on the elderly and reduces isolation.
The Internet plays a crucial role in reducing loneliness and boredom, while motivating them to expand social networks and form new relationships.
In Thailand, Total Access Communication (DTAC), Telenor's local business unit, reported 6 per cent of users being over 60, although a mere 2 per cent over 65. This possibly reflects a more prosperous senior generation in a country with an average life expectancy of 74.2 years, as compared with only 60.2 in India.
Usage within these demographics also presents an interesting contrast to India and Bangladesh. The figures show that data penetration among the elderly is comparatively high in Thailand, with 56 per cent of users over 60 and 50 per cent over 65 using data.
Smartphones, at 50-55 per cent among the two upper age groups, far outnumber feature phones, and mirrors the situation in similarly middle-income Malaysia.
Among the top two demographics, the male/female split, while pronounced, is nevertheless encouraging, with 19 per cent of Thai female users over 60 years of age and 15 per cent over 65 using data.
Sigve Brekke, Telenor's executive vice president and head of Asia operations, said yesterday that given the company's vision of "Internet for All", it is a source of concern that senior citizens in its Asian markets are not fully receiving the benefits of the mobile internet.
"This is particularly true as several Asian societies anticipate increasingly ageing populations. We must work to achieve connectivity for all, not just the young," he said.
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