Abstract
The goal of the study was to look at the factors that influence household demand for mobile broadband in South Africa, as well as the implications for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is widely assumed that increased internet usage would result in more economic activity and development, particularly as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds. The results of the logistic regression revealed that population group (race), access to a landline phone, access to a cellphone, access to electricity, owning a home, gender, age of the household head, net household per month, and household expenditure were the significant variables influencing household demand for mobile broadband in South Africa. The variables with the highest likelihood of demand for broadband connection among South African households were access to electricity and smartphone devices. In comparison to families without electricity, households having access to electricity had a 40.484 higher probability of desire for mobile broadband. The findings suggest that one of the most critical variables to focus on to increase the number of people who have access to mobile broadband and to achieve economic prosperity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is electricity. According to the study, to improve people's productivity, economic prosperity, and quality of life through broadband access, the government should try to improve access to electricity and cellphone devices, among other initiatives, such as developing policies that encourage women to have equal access to mobile broadband as their male counterparts.