Mobile operators in emerging markets such as Brazil and South Africa are experiencing increased traffic and demand for free data as the coronavirus pandemic drives users online.
That’s according to recent online search data from Upstream’s Zero-D, an ad-funded free mobile internet platform designed to keep users connected to the digital world even when they have run out of data.
Demand for free access to essential online services is highest in Brazil, with searches for “internet gratis” (free internet) surpassed only by searches for “Facebook” in the data from March 2020 to May 2020. In addition, Free Fire, a free online video game which took Brazil by storm in 2019, continues to dominate the entertainment category. Searches for “Free Fire” surpassed “Netflix” by more than 664 percent in Brazil, presenting mobile operators in the region with a unique challenge.
Demand for internet gratis is not unusual in Brazil. Prior to the pandemic, it accounted for an average of 38 percent of all online searches recorded by Zero-D. Following the outbreak, in the months from March to May, it jumped to 43 percent. Similarly, data from South Africa shows that the top trending online question before the outbreak of COVID-19 was “How to get free data?”. Following the outbreak, this question was surpassed only by “What is coronavirus?” and “When are schools opening?”, highlighting an increased interest in topics to do with health and the new reality of the pandemic.
This comes as mobile operators continue to play a critical role in keeping communities connected throughout emerging markets. However, as the pandemic and associated lockdown measures are impacting people’s income and their ability to physically top-up their mobile data credit, pressure is mounting on the industry to provide free or discounted means of accessing basic online services.
According to the data gathered by Upstream’s Zero-D, the primary reasons for seeking free internet access are education, general health information and news about the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Africa, interest in general health news saw a dramatic five-fold increase as the outbreak developed, jumping from just 5.2 percent between December 2019 and February 2020, to 28.6 percent by May 2020.
