Mobile creating a #BetterFuture: Connectivity for Good

Six years ago, the mobile industry became the first industry to commit to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the targets for 2030 rapidly approaching, this annual report provides an update on how our industry is progressing against the SDGs and identifies the areas that warrant additional focus to deliver impact. Our 2022 report delivers a deep dive into how mobile networks are shaping the direction of the world, offering much-needed clarity and outlining clear opportunities for continued progress.

Around the world, two billion people remain unbanked, without access to safe, secure and affordable financial services. Over the past 10 years, mobile money has scaled rapidly, expanding from a niche offering in a handful of markets to a global financial service connecting over a billion people to the formal economy, offering diverse services and improving lives and financial security. In 2021, the industry surpassed $1 trillion in annual transactions globally, and it continues to grow. Mobile money has now become a core pillar of the financial system in low- and middle-income countries.

In today’s increasingly connected world, women are being left behind. Our latest figures show that women are 7% less likely than men to own a mobile phone, and 16% less likely than men to use mobile internet. Through our Connected Women Commitment Initiative, over 40 mobile operators have made formal commitments to reach more women with mobile phones and internet, and since 2016, they have reached over 55 million additional women with these essential services.

3.2 billion people who are covered by mobile networks still are not using mobile internet. One of the biggest barriers people face is digital skills and literacy. The GSMA Mobile Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) is working to address this. The toolkit is a set of free resources to teach people the basic skills they need to access and use the mobile internet. Using a ‘train the trainer’ approach, the short lessons are available in pdf and video format that can easily be adapted into local needs and languages. Since its launch, MISTT has supported the training of over 50 million people and continues to grow across the world.

In times of crisis, staying connected is a lifeline for people. It allows them to stay in touch with loved ones, and access life-saving information and services. The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation team works to build partnerships to deliver safe, efficient and dignified humanitarian assistance to people, and invests in innovation to target humanitarian challenges. To date our work has reached over 9 million people, with 20 innovation solutions delivered.

The mobile sector is committed to tackling climate change now and in the future. The GSMA is working with participating operators and will be partnering with the international community, climate experts and third-party organisations to advance industry progress, establish best practices, and support disclosure and target setting.

The industry is also committed to advancing mobile technology innovations in areas such as big data and IoT that can enable energy efficient and environmental solutions across multiple sectors, including transport, manufacturing, agriculture, building, energy.

Mobile networks may be a small part of the problem, but form a big part of the solution.

This report is the second annual assessment of how the mobile industry is progressing against the ambition to be net zero by 2050. Covering the risks and opportunities of climate action, carbon emissions of the industry, digitisation and the enablement effect, energy efficiency and mobile connectivity, the transition to renewable electricity, mobile industry supply chain and adaptation and resilience this report is an in-depth analysis of how the mobile industry is doing on climate action.

In 2019, the GSMA Board set a climate ambition on behalf of the industry to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest.

Earlier this year, the GSMA published its first Strategy Paper on the Circular Economy, which focused on how network equipment can evolve towards more circular business models.

Continuing the exploration of circularity, this paper looks at the largest environmental impact of the mobile industry – mobile devices.

To reach the decarbonisation reductions required by 2030, access to renewable electricity through national grids is essential for operators. This paper includes new renewable electricity analysis which shows a concerted effort is needed to increase renewable electricity supply to electricity grids over the next decade. It also outlines the key challenges faced by the mobile sector preventing access to renewable electricity in market, and the key asks and recommendations for policymakers that can help to overcome the challenges.

The GSMA has launched ESG Metrics for Mobile, a first-of-its-kind mobile sector ESG reporting framework, developed alongside partners from EY, Yale Center for Business and the Environment, and a working group of 20 mobile operators representing 45% of the world’s mobile connections. The framework also draws on experience from key global industry and ESG stakeholders and who contributed to the project. Featuring ten industry-specific KPIs, the framework covers a range of key material topics for the sector, from energy consumption and waste reduction to digital inclusion and data protection. The common metrics are designed to simplify and harmonise ESG disclosures and complement universal reporting, by adding a crucial industry-specific lens.

Mobile big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging as powerful forces transforming business and society, and the potential of these technologies to unlock life-changing benefits is only beginning to be seen. When grounded in ethical principles that protect privacy, these solutions can truly change the world for the better.

AI for Impact is developing global partnerships to accelerate action and achieve impact in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This GSMA initiative, guided by a task force of 24 mobile operators and an advisory panel of 12 UN agencies and partners, defines the technical, commercial and ecosystem requirements to deliver viable data-driven products and services that adhere to principles of privacy and ethics. At the national level, the GSMA supports real-world implementations, replicating proven models and delivering market-shaping campaigns to unlock demand and address barriers.

The GSMA Innovation Fund and Ecosystem Accelerators work to realise the potential of mobile innovation at scale, investing in innovative digital solutions that have a positive socio-economic impact in low- and middle-income countries. To date the Innovation Fund has generated £563 million of additional investment in starts ups impacting 36 million people, while the Ecosystem Accelerator has generated £243 million in additional funding raised by start-ups.