biostudies-literatureBlake ADivision of Environmental BiologyBranco Weiss Fellowship – Society in ScienceFogarty International Centere0000270https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10325035biostudies-literatureUnknown2(7)Human movement and population connectivity inform infectious disease management. Remote data, particularly mobile phone usage data, are frequently used to track mobility in outbreak response efforts without measuring representation in target populations. Using a detailed interview instrument, we measure population representation in phone ownership, mobility, and access to healthcare in a highly mobile population with low access to health care in Namibia, a middle-income country. We find that 1) phone ownership is both low and biased by gender, 2) phone ownership is correlated with differences in mobility and access to healthcare, and 3) reception is spatially unequal and scarce in non-urban areas. We demonstrate that mobile phone data do not represent the populations and locations that mosPLOS digital healthDisparities in mobile phone ownership reflect inequities in access to healthcare.PMC103250352202872R01TW012434Bharti NHazel AMatundu JBlake AJakurama JfalseDisparities in mobile phone ownership reflect inequities in access to healthcare.Human movement and population connectivity inform infectious disease management. Remote data, particularly mobile phone usage data, are frequently used to track mobility in outbreak response efforts without measuring representation in target populations. Using a detailed interview instrument, we measure population representation in phone ownership, mobility, and access to healthcare in a highly mobile population with low access to health care in Namibia, a middle-income country. We find that 1) phone ownership is both low and biased by gender, 2) phone ownership is correlated with differences in mobility and access to healthcare, and 3) reception is spatially unequal and scarce in non-urban areas. We demonstrate that mobile phone data do not represent the populations and locations that mos2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Jul2025-04-05T11:31:18.94Z2025-04-05T11:31:18.94ZS-EPMC103250353741070810.1371/journal.pdig.0000270