We define “offline internet” as a set of innovations that aim to provide access to information and digital resources in places where access is otherwise not available or severely limited due to infrastructure, affordability, or censorship.
Offline-first technologies focus primarily on the offline functionality of digital devices that provide access to quality information and resources on the internet for individuals and communities that are unable to connect to the internet.
There are numerous reasons why the internet is out of reach for communities all over the world. These reasons include geography (those living in remote areas); poverty/ economics; areas affected by war, climate change, global disasters, and other emergencies; discrimination; geopolitics; censorship; and authoritarianism
Even as global infrastructure continues to advance rapidly, enabling more people to connect to WiFi, the issue of affordability remains. Many people around the world cannot afford the cost of data. (For example, 1 gigabyte of data could be the equivalent of 2 months salary.)
Girls in Afghanistan seeking an education, farmers in Rwanda learning about conservation agriculture, nursing students in South Sudan connecting to health care libraries, educators in Colombia equipping children with 21st century skills, prisoners in the United States learning how to code, national park visitors in Canada seeking an offline experience, and many, many more.