With the growth of Internet of Things (IoT), wearable tech and other online accessible devices, there’s no question that online accessibility has come a long way. And according to a couple of new reports, it’s going to get even bigger.

First up is a report from Cisco’s visual networking index, as originally posted via Re/Code. The report indicates that one billion more people will be connected to the Internet over the span of five years, which in turn could create a global digital middle class.

According to the chart above, by 2019, there will be a significant increase in Internet users, devices and connections, and faster broadband speeds than ever before. In fact, broadband could be moving twice as fast within this span, and, as a result, video viewing could pick up from 67 percent of overall traffic to 80 percent.

Connected devices will also be on the rise, varying in a number of areas, such as health, energy and use of devices in home. This means even more Internet of Things-related devices selling in stores, and becoming more widely accepted with audiences.

And as for Internet usage, it’s growing at a staggering rate. This year alone has seen improvements in gaming, Internet video and web/data numbers, but by 2019, they’ll go even further, with video leading the charge and gaming taking up a bigger chunk, by nearly double its original size in 2014. No doubt eSports competitions and online friendly games will play a big part of that, since gamers like their competition.

However, even though Cisco’s report indicates that things are on the up-and-up, global Internet usage still couldn’t be any more different. A recent report from Statista shows that the “digital divide” is still pretty big, with some countries reporting much lower numbers than others.

This chart, for instance, shows that Europe is the leader in overall Internet usage, with 77 percent of its individuals using it this year. Closely behind at 66 percent is the Americas, including the United States. Meanwhile, Asia and the Pacific are down to 36.9 percent, while Africa is at the bottom with 20.7 percent.

These numbers are likely to change, however, and show growth in all regions. It’s just a matter of how the devices are introduced, if the new broadband speeds are affordable, and how much of a convenience it can be to people, no matter what they prefer doing. We’ll see how things fare in 2019…

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