In today’s increasingly connected world, addressing connectivity, coverage and gender gaps must be prioritised. The telecom sector can help deliver significant socio-economic benefits and transform people’s lives.
Making internet-enabled phones more affordable in low- and middle-income countries
Handset affordability is a key barrier to mobile internet adoption. This report investigates approaches, business models and technological innovations to enable underserved populations to get access to affordable handsets and affordable finance.
GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit
The GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) is a set of free resources to teach people the basic skills they need to access and use mobile internet. It uses a ‘train the trainer’ approach and consists of short lessons available in PDF, Word and video format that can be easily adapted to local needs and languages.
Breaking Barriers- How we can close the Usage Gap
Breaking Barriers is our campaign to break the usage gap fronted by Asisat Oshoala, a Nigerian professional footballer. More than 3.5 billion people – 43% of the world’s population – remain unconnected to online services globally. But only 5% live in areas not covered by a mobile broadband network.
Accelerating Rural Connectivity: Insights from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity
In 2018, the GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity was launched to test ways to deploy commercially sustainable mobile broadband networks in rural areas and identify approaches that could be scaled and replicated. This report outlines the solutions implemented by the start-ups and looks at the performance and impact of the sites deployed as well as the lessons learnt.
Connectivity Gaps in Latin America
The report examines the limitations of the current design of Universal Service Funds (USFs), the main public policy tool to close the connectivity gap, and proposes reforms and alternative options to expand 4G connectivity levels by 2030.
Understanding women micro-entrepreneurs’ use of mobile phones for business
Across low- and middle-income countries, female micro-entrepreneurs are less likely than male micro-entrepreneurs to own and use mobile phones, including for accessing the internet and financial services. This report and executive summary provide new data and insights from 10 LMICs on the use of mobile phones by women micro-entrepreneurs and the challenges that prevent them from using mobile services for business.
Reaching 50 Million Women with Mobile: A Practical Guide
This guide outlines the practical steps mobile operators can take to reach female customers and realise this opportunity. Drawing on our research and work with operators and other partners across Africa, Asia and Latin America over the last decade, we have distilled 10 key recommendations for reaching women with mobile.
Inclusive E-Government Services in Ghana: Enhancing Women’s Access and Usage
This report assesses the extent to which women as economic agents or lead contributors to household incomes in Ghana access and use digital government services via mobile platforms for business, family and personal needs.
Digital Inclusion in Humanitarian Settings: Lessons from the GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Programme
This paper captures the key lessons from the Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation programme projects and research on digital inclusion in humanitarian settings. The paper encourages humanitarian organisations and technology providers to work together to ensure digital technology allows a pathway to greater inclusion.
GSMA Gender Equality
Digital gender equality is of critical importance to the GSMA and the mobile industry. Around the world mobile technology is transforming lives and empowering women and girls who have access to it. Take a look at the work we’re doing with our partners.