When we talk about digital learning, we love to talk about features: video lessons, live classes, interactive quizzes. We talk far less about the cost of the connection needed to use any of them.
For a student with fast home internet, a one hour video class is a minor detail. For a student buying data bundles on a phone, it can be a real daily decision. If a platform demands high bandwidth, then learners who can pay for connectivity get more education, and learners who cannot get less. That is not neutral design. It is an equity problem hidden inside a technical choice.
The good news is that we can design for this, and it is not especially expensive. Build for mobile first, because for many learners the phone is the only screen. Keep pages light, compress what can be compressed and avoid forcing autoplay video. Offer audio-only or text versions of recorded lessons. Let students download materials once and use them offline. Where possible, work with providers on zero-rated access to educational platforms.
Before shipping anything to learners, test it the way they will really use it: on an average phone, on a slow connection, with a limited data plan. If it is frustrating for you under those conditions, it will be worse for them.
Good ed-tech is not the system with the most features. It is the system the learner can actually reach.