GSMA | Mobile for Development - Resources

Mobile for Development

Driving mobile internet use in low- and middle-income countries: Lessons and insights from the GSMA Innovation Fund

Thursday 23 Mar 2023 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | Education | Employment | English | Ethiopia | Financial inclusion for women | India | Innovation fund and grants | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Pakistan | Report | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |

3.2 billion of the unconnected population worldwide live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but are not using mobile internet. About 93% of this unconnected population reside in low- and-middle-income countries ...

GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion – Life Stories

Monday 23 Jan 2023 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital literacy | Education | Employment | English | Ethiopia | Financial inclusion for women | Gender | Innovation Fund | Innovation fund and grants | Innovation Fund Video List | Life stories | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Pakistan | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Video | Zimbabwe |

Mobile is an enabler for digital inclusion. It empowers people with new opportunities and life enhancing services. But the usage gap is still 40% which means that 3.2 billion people live in an area with mobile broadband coverage but ...

GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion – Highlights video

Monday 9 Jan 2023 | Connected Society | Connected Women | English | Ethiopia | Innovation Fund Video List | Mobile access and use | Nigeria | Pakistan | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Video |

Mobile is an enabler for digital inclusion. It empowers people with new opportunities and life enhancing services. But the usage gap is still 40% which means that 3.2 billion people live in an area with mobile broadband coverage but ...

Tackling social norms to reduce the gender digital divide

Thursday 5 Jan 2023 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital literacy | English | Gender | India | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Presentation | Research | Resource | South Asia | Webinar |

This session brings together new research by the GSMA and BBC Media Action India, to discuss innovative solutions to reducing the gender digital divide in India, and how to enable more women to take advantage of the many benefits of mobile internet access.

Accelerating Rural Connectivity: Insights from the GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity

Thursday 5 Jan 2023 | Connected Society | English | Ghana | Innovation fund and grants | Report | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

This report outlines the solutions implemented by the grantees of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity and looks at the performance and impact of the sites deployed, as well as the lessons learnt and key recommendations.

Webinar recording: The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2022

Monday 19 Dec 2022 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Presentation | Report | Research | State of the industry and trends | Webinar |

In this webinar recording, learn about the latest trends in global connectivity from The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2022. By the end of 2021, 4.3 billion people were using ...

GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion: Meet the start-ups

Monday 12 Dec 2022 | Connected Society | English | Ethiopia | Mobile access and use | Nigeria | Pakistan | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Video |

The GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion was set up to help address the key ...

GSMA Innovation Fund Start-Ups: Knowledge Platform

Tuesday 22 Nov 2022 | Connected Society | Education | English | Innovation fund and grants | Innovation Fund Video List | Mobile access and use | Pakistan | South Asia | Video |

To address the education crisis in Pakistan, Knowledge Platform created Learn Smart Pakistan, a gamified cloud learning platform, currently used by 125,000 students.

The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2022

Wednesday 19 Oct 2022 | Asia and Australia | Connected Society | East Asia and Pacific | English | Europe and Central Asia | Global | Latin America & the Caribbean | Middle East and North Africa | Mobile access and use | Report | Research | Resource | South Asia | State of the industry and trends | Sub-Saharan Africa |

Growth in mobile internet adoption continues and is nearly entirely driven by people living in low- and middle-income countries. Across the world, 55% of the population was using mobile internet at the end of 2021.

How to make internet-enabled handsets more affordable in low- and middle-income countries

Wednesday 6 Jul 2022 | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Presentation | Report | Research | Resource | Webinar |

In this virtual session, we explored ways mobile operators, policymakers and all stakeholders working on digital inclusion in low- and middle-income countries ...

Driving the Digital Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities: Policy considerations for low- and middle-income countries

Thursday 5 May 2022 | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | Digital inclusion for persons with disability | English | Report |

Drawing on insights from recent research on the mobile disability gap and a policy review in 28 countries across Africa and Asia, this report provides a framework for action to increase digital inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Digital Inclusion: Driving mobile internet adoption and use

Wednesday 4 May 2022 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital literacy | English | Gender | Mobile access and use | Mobile for Development | Mobile internet for women | Research |

Mobile internet connectivity delivers significant economic benefits, reduces poverty and transforms lives, providing people with access to information and services that not only assists them in their daily lives but that they would not ...

M-KOPA: Applying the pay-as-you-go model to smartphones in Africa

Tuesday 3 May 2022 | Case study | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Report | Research |

In Africa, handset affordability is a key barrier to accessing & using mobile internet. This case study highlights how M-KOPA, a connected asset financing company, is making smartphones more affordable to underserved customers in Kenya, Nigeria & Ghana.

Closing the Mobile Disability Gap in Ghana: Insights and Recommendations

Tuesday 12 Apr 2022 | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | Digital inclusion for persons with disability | English | Ghana | Mobile access and use | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa |

In Ghana, persons with disabilities are 34 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone and significantly less likely to own a smartphone than non-disabled persons. In this short report we present six key findings on the mobile ...

GSMA Innovation Fund Start-Ups: Orenda

Monday 4 Apr 2022 | Connected Society | Education | English | Innovation fund and grants | Innovation Fund Video List | Mobile access and use | Pakistan | South Asia | Video |

Pakistan has the second highest number or out-of-school children in the world. This figure currently stands at 22.5 million. Both enrollment and performance ...

Making internet-enabled phones more affordable in low- and middle-income countries

Tuesday 5 Apr 2022 | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Report | Research |

This report provides an overview of approaches, business models and technological innovations that are improving the affordability of internet-enabled handsets in low- and middle-income countries, particularly for underserved populations.

MWC Barcelona 2022 Session: ‘Reaching Underserved Population Segments’

Thursday 10 Mar 2022 | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Mobile for Development | Presentation | Video |

At some stage in the innovation journey, customer acquisition curves start to flatten and growth strategies shift to focus on creating value for unreached customer segments. A one-size-fits-all strategy no longer resonates with ...

Closing the Mobile Disability Gap in Sri Lanka: Insights and Recommendations

Tuesday 15 Feb 2022 | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | Digital inclusion for persons with disability | English | Mobile access and use | Report | Research | South Asia | Sri Lanka |

Access to mobile can be life changing for persons with disabilities. Mobile phones, particularly smartphones, can cluster multiple assistive technologies into one device, enabling more autonomous living. But many persons with ...

Updated: GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT)

Tuesday 8 Feb 2022 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Mobile Digital Skills Alliance | Resource | 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 ...

The Mobile Disability Gap Report 2021

Friday 3 Dec 2021 | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | Digital inclusion for persons with disability | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Report | Research |

Mobile devices and services offer life-changing benefits to persons with disabilities, enabling more independent living. However, GSMA research shows that despite this potential, many persons with disabilities remain unconnected and ...

Webinar On Demand: Driving Mobile Digital Skills Development

Wednesday 17 Nov 2021 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Presentation | Resource | Webinar |

Mobile is the primary and often only way of accessing internet in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), enabling access to life-enhancing services, driving economic growth, and creating opportunities for citizens and businesses to ...

Developing mobile digital skills in low- and middle-income countries

Monday 8 Nov 2021 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Ghana | India | Mobile access and use | Report | Research |

Acquiring digital skills, and mobile digital skills in particular, is critical for people in low- and middle-income countries to participate in a rapidly digitalising society. However, the GSMA’s The ...

Multiplying the Impact of Mobile Internet Skills Training

Wednesday 13 Oct 2021 | Case study | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Report | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

A lack of literacy and digital skills is one of the key barriers to mobile internet adoption across low-and middle-income countries. To fully participate in, and take advantage of the digital economy, people need to not only understand ...

The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2021

Tuesday 28 Sep 2021 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Report | Research | State of the industry and trends |

For the first time, more than half of the world’s population is using mobile internet. This Connected Society flagship report highlights trends in coverage and usage of mobile internet over the last six years and key barriers to mobile internet adoption.

MTN Data Smart Case Study

Monday 20 Sep 2021 | Benin | Cameroon | Case study | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

In 2019, MTN launched Data Smart, a digital literacy campaign. This case study provides an overview of the campaign and explores how it has increased mobile internet use among MTN customers in two key markets: Benin and Cameroon.

Using the GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index to drive digital inclusion: Guidelines for policymakers

Monday 12 Jul 2021 | Benin | Case study | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Policy and regulation | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of the internet and the critical role of mobile technology, which is the primary way most people access the internet. Mobile internet is providing access to critical information, ...

Understanding people’s mobile digital skills needs

Tuesday 25 May 2021 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Ghana | India | Mobile access and use | Report | Research | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa |

Acquiring digital skills, and mobile digital skills in particular, is critical for people in low- and middle-income countries to participate in a rapidly digitalising society. However, the GSMA’s The State of Mobile Internet ...

Accelerating mobile internet adoption: Policy considerations to bridge the digital divide in low- and middle-income countries

Tuesday 11 May 2021 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Policy and regulation | Report | Research |

This report responds to the need to accelerate mobile internet adoption and use, which is the biggest challenge in bridging the digital divide. The report sets out a wide range of policy considerations and proposes a comprehensive ...

High Level Virtual Roundtable Recording: Achieving mobile-enabled digital inclusion in Bangladesh

Friday 9 Apr 2021 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | South Asia | Video | Webinar |

In this GSMA National Dialogues high level virtual roundtable, panellists examined the findings of the latest report, ‘Achieving mobile-enabled digital inclusion in Bangladesh’ and discussed the barriers to digital inclusion in Bangladesh and the ...

Achieving mobile-enabled digital inclusion in Bangladesh

Monday 29 Mar 2021 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Report | South Asia |

The internet and digital technology have played a key role in helping to drive economic growth and societal development in Bangladesh. Mobile, as the primary means of internet access and the principal form of digital technology use in ...

Photo Gallery: Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity – Build Phase

Thursday 25 Feb 2021 | Connected Society | Ghana | GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

A selection of photos from the build phase of the Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity, supplied by the vendors.

Webinar on demand: Keeping Bangladesh connected: The role of the mobile industry during the COVID-19 pandemic

Monday 21 Dec 2020 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | Mobile access and use | Presentation | Report | South Asia | Video |

Connectivity has become not only essential but critical in these challenging times. Digital technology has stepped in to fill the gaps and is playing a crucial role in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bangladesh, mobile technology is helping people ...

Keeping Bangladesh connected: The role of the mobile industry during the COVID-19 pandemic

Thursday 17 Dec 2020 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | English | Policy and regulation | Report | Research | South Asia |

Connectivity has become not only essential, but critical in these challenging times. Digital technology has stepped in to fill the gaps and is playing a crucial role in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bangladesh, mobile technology ...

The poverty reduction effects of mobile broadband in Africa: Evidence from Nigeria

Thursday 10 Dec 2020 | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Nigeria | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa |

The GSMA and the World Bank have developed a study to analyse the welfare impact of mobile broadband based on data from Nigeria, the largest mobile market and economy in Africa. The analysis shows that the deployment of mobile ...

Webinar on demand:
Understanding the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2020

Thursday 19 Nov 2020 | Connected Society | Mobile access and use | Resource | Video | Webinar |

Almost half of the world’s population – 3.8 billion people – are using mobile internet. This continues to grow, with an additional 250 million people connecting for the first time in 2019. For many citizens, mobile is their only means of accessing the ...

Connected Society: Delivering digital inclusion for all

Thursday 29 Oct 2020 | Connected Society | Global | Resource |

The GSMA Connected Society programme works with the mobile industry and key stakeholders to increase access to and adoption of mobile internet, focusing on underserved population groups in low and middle-income countries. The unconnected population is ...

Why are so many people still offline?

Thursday 8 Oct 2020 | Connected Society | Resource | Thrive Africa Shorts | Video |

Across the world, four billion people remain offline. Of these, the vast majority – 3.4 billion people – already have access to mobile broadband. Most of the people who are covered but who are not using the internet are in Asia, while ...

Accelerating Digital Inclusion

Tuesday 29 Sep 2020 | Connected Society | Presentation | Resource | Thrive Africa Side Sessions | Video |

This interactive session discussed the state of mobile connectivity, together with key barriers and opportunities for accelerating digital inclusion in Africa. We shared our latest data and insights on mobile internet coverage and adoption in Africa ...

The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

Wednesday 7 Oct 2020 | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Presentation | Report | Research | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa | Thrive Africa Shorts |

In this video, Anne Delaporte, Senior Insights Manager of Connected Society, and Federico Agnoletto, Senior Economist of GSMA Intelligence, present the key findings of the

A Discussion with Android on Enhancing Digital Skills in Africa

Wednesday 7 Oct 2020 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Presentation | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa | Thrive Africa Shorts | Video |

In this video we hear from Jonathan Bordage, Market Engagement Manager of Connected Society as he talks about the key barriers to mobile internet adoption and explains how the GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) helps ...

Innovators creating impact: Virtual insights from the ground featuring NuRAN Wireless

Monday 28 Sep 2020 | Connected Society | Ghana | GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Video |

NuRAN Wireless is one of the grantees of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity. In this short video, NuRAN illustrates the process from the initial cutting of metal for the towers through to the completed sites.

The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2020

Tuesday 22 Sep 2020 | Connected Society | English | Global | Report | Research | Resource | State of the industry and trends |

Almost half of the world’s population are now using mobile internet. This Connected Society flagship report provides a comprehensive overview of the trends in global connectivity to inform progress towards closing the coverage and usage gaps.

GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit: A guide for training people in basic mobile internet skills

Monday 27 Jul 2020 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile Digital Skills Alliance | Resource |

The GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit (MISTT) uses a ‘train the trainer’ approach to teach people basic mobile internet skills. The MISTT consists of short lessons in PDF format that can be easily adapted to local needs and languages.

GSMA Connected Society: Life Stories from DRC and Bangladesh

Monday 20 Jul 2020 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | Democratic Republic of Congo | English | Life stories | Mobile access and use | Rural network coverage | South Asia | Sub-Saharan Africa | Video |

In this Connected Society Life Stories video we talk to locals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh and learn how they have been empowered by mobile.

Supporting the Growth of the Tech Start-Up Ecosystem in Uganda:
A Policy Outlook

Tuesday 14 Jul 2020 | Connected Society | English | Policy and regulation | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

Mobile has superseded other communication methods to become the primary form of connectivity in Uganda. Across Uganda, start-ups are seizing the opportunity provided by mobile technology to offer fresh thinking and potential solutions ...

An interview with MTN Uganda’s CEO: The GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity

Monday 15 Jun 2020 | Connected Society | English | GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Video |

Wim Vanhelleputte, CEO of MTN Uganda, discusses the importance of bringing connectivity to rural communities, and highlights the role of innovation in making rural connectivity more commercially sustainable.

Introducing the winners of the GSMA Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity

Thursday 2 Apr 2020 | Connected Society | English | Ghana | GSMA Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity | Innovation fund and grants | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda | Video |

In this video, learn about the project's main purpose and participants. Hear interviews with Vodafone Ghana, MTN Uganda, GIFEC, and the Chief of Abodom, a community in rural Ghana connected by previous collaboration between GIFEC and the mobile industry.

Mobile for Development brochure 2020

Wednesday 4 Mar 2020 | AgriTech | Assistive Tech | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital Identity | Digital Utilities | Ecosystem Accelerator | Global | Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation | Mobile Money | Resource |

GSMA Mobile for Development has recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Ten years in which we have grown from a simple but powerful idea to a global team of 130 and a portfolio of projects that have now impacted ...

Connected Society: An Overview for Policymakers

Monday 23 Nov 2020 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Policy and regulation | Resource |

Policymakers have a key role to play in accelerating digital inclusion. In this Connected Society overview, read our top recommendations for how policymakers can close the coverage gap and how they can address the top 5 barriers to mobile internet usage.

GSMA Connected Society Overview

Thursday 20 Feb 2020 | Connected Society | English | Video |

The GSMA Connected Society programme is committed to supporting stakeholders and working to address challenges related to global connectivity, with a focus on underserved communities in developing markets.

Présentation du Programme Connected Society de la GSMA

Thursday 20 Feb 2020 | Connected Society | French | Video |

Regardez cette courte vidéo pour un aperçu des initiatives du programme, ainsi que des solutions suggérées et des rôles que les parties prenantes doivent jouer pour faire progresser la connectivité mobile.

Presentación del programa Connected Society de la GSMA

Thursday 20 Feb 2020 | Connected Society | English | Spanish | Video |

El programa Connected Society de GSMA se compromete a apoyar a las partes interesadas y a trabajar para afrontar los desafíos relacionados con la conectividad, centrándose en las comunidades marginadas en los mercados en desarrollo a nivel mundial.

Webinar on Demand: The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity

Thursday 7 Nov 2019 | Connected Society | English | Global | Resource | Webinar |

In this webinar recording you will hear from the authors of the recent Connected Society report, 'The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2019'. You'll also be given a demo of the Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI) web tool.

The power of mobile to accelerate digital transformation in Pakistan

Thursday 17 Oct 2019 | Asia and Australia | Connected Society | English | Pakistan | Report | Resource | South Asia |

Pakistan is on a national development journey, rooted in the government’s commitment to national and global development goals. There is an urgent need for the government and other stakeholders to accelerate social and economic development in the country.

Webinar on Demand: Closing the Coverage Gap – How Innovation Can Drive Rural Connectivity

Thursday 19 Sep 2019 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Mobile for Development | Presentation | Report | Research | Resource | Rural network coverage | Video | Webinar |

In this webinar recording you will hear from the author of the recent Connected Society report, 'Closing the Coverage Gap - How Innovation Can Drive Rural Connectivity'. Learn about the potential innovations that could connect the unconnected.

Webinar on Demand: Exploring the GSMA Coverage Maps Platform

Wednesday 24 Jul 2019 | Connected Society | English | Mobile access and use | Mobile for Development | Presentation | Resource | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Video | Webinar |

Reliable population mobile coverage data is the starting point for enabling the digital economy. Access to this data is vital in order to identify who is covered and who is not; plan and finance network ...

Closing the Coverage Gap: How Innovation Can Drive Rural Connectivity

Wednesday 17 Jul 2019 | Case study | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile for Development | Report | Research | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa |

Millions of people still do not live within reach of a mobile broadband network. Delivering this connectivity is increasingly becoming an economic challenge, and innovation is needed to reduce the cost and difficulty of deployments.

The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2019

Tuesday 16 Jul 2019 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Mobile for Development | Report | Research | State of the industry and trends |

Only 40% of the LMIC population are connected, compared to almost 75% of the population in high-income countries. More than half the world’s population are therefore still unable to realise the social and economic benefits that mobile internet can enable.

Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit: Banglalink pilot evaluation

Wednesday 12 Jun 2019 | Bangladesh | Case study | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Report | Research |

This case study presents the findings of a MISTT pilot conducted in Bangladesh. As well as having a hugely positive impact on people's digital skills, Banglalink experienced a 228% increase in mobile internet usage amongst trained customers.

Driving digital skills in Bangladesh: Banglalink case study

Friday 24 May 2019 | Asia and Australia | Bangladesh | Connected Society | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Video |

In Bangladesh, 87% of the population use mobile; yet only 25% use mobile internet. In 3 months, 3,200 Banglalink sales agents were trained to use the MISTT, who in turn trained over 117,000 customers.

Uganda: Driving inclusive socio-economic progress through mobile-enabled digital transformation

Thursday 28 Mar 2019 | Connected Society | English | Report | Sub-Saharan Africa | Uganda |

As Uganda advances its efforts focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Uganda Vision 2040, harnessing the power of mobile technology will be critical to influencing progress across all development goals. Mobile is ...

Rural Connectivity Innovation Case Study: Using light sites to drive rural coverage – Huawei RuralStar and MTN Ghana

Tuesday 13 Nov 2018 | Case study | Connected Society | English | Ghana | Mobile access and use | Resource | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa |

Huawei’s RuralStar is a lightweight rural network coverage solution supporting 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity. It has significantly lower CapEx and OpEx compared to a traditional, typical macro-site and can therefore help reduce one of the ...

Rural Connectivity Innovation Case Study: Cellcard Cambodia and Solar Power

Wednesday 7 Nov 2018 | Cambodia | Case study | Connected Society | East Asia and Pacific | Energy | English | Resilient technology | Resource | Rural network coverage |

In delivering mobile coverage to rural areas, one of the most significant expenses that operators face in providing users with mobile coverage is the cost of powering cell sites. Using a GSMA bespoke evaluation model, this case study ...

State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2018

Monday 3 Sep 2018 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | East Asia and Pacific | English | Europe and Central Asia | Gender | Global | Latin America & the Caribbean | Middle East and North Africa | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Policy and regulation | Report | Resource | Rural network coverage | South Asia | State of the industry and trends | Sub-Saharan Africa |

At the end of 2017, 3.3 billion people were connected to the mobile internet, representing an increase of almost 300 million compared to the previous year. However, more than 4 billion people still remain offline and 1 billion of these ...

Driving digital inclusion in Rwanda: Tigo case study

Wednesday 25 Jul 2018 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Sub-Saharan Africa | Video |

A pilot study of the MISTT was conducted in Africa by Tigo Rwanda. This resulted in over 300 sales agents being trained, who in turn trained over 250,000 customers.

Triggering mobile internet use in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania

Friday 13 Jul 2018 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Cote d'Ivoire | Digital literacy | Gender | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Report | Research | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tanzania |

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest level of mobile broadband coverage in the world; only 63% of the region’s population lived within reach of a 3G network at the end of 2017. It also has the lowest level of mobile internet penetration ...

Enabling rural coverage: regulatory and policy recommendations to foster mobile broadband coverage in developing countries

Monday 5 Feb 2018 | Connected Society | English | Global | Guidelines | Mobile access and use | Policy and regulation | Report | Resource | Rural network coverage | State of the industry and trends | Toolkit |

This report responds to the need of tackling the regulatory barriers preventing operators from extending coverage of mobile broadband networks to rural areas in emerging ...

Tanzania rural coverage pilots performance report

Monday 5 Feb 2018 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Gender | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Partnership engagement | Report | Resource | Rural network coverage | Sub-Saharan Africa | Tanzania |

In July 2016, under the aegis of the GSMA, Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom agreed to test for the first time in Africa a tripartite national roaming agreement in Tanzania to provide mobile broadband connectivity to rural and remote ...

Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit: Tigo Rwanda pilot evaluation

Friday 19 Jan 2018 | Case study | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Gender | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Resource | Rwanda | Sub-Saharan Africa | Toolkit |

This case study outlines the lessons learned from a MISTT pilot with Tigo Rwanda. Tigo experienced substantial benefits, with 77% of MISTT trained customers increasing their data usage.

Triggering mobile internet use among men and women in South Asia

Friday 17 Nov 2017 | Bangladesh | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital literacy | English | Gender | India | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Pakistan | Report | Research | Resource | South Asia | Sri Lanka |

Adoption and use of mobile internet is far from universal or equitable, with women, those with less education, rural residents, and the poor accounting for a disproportionate number of non-users. This GSMA Connected Women and GSMA ...

The Mobile Connectivity Index

Monday 18 Sep 2017 | Connected Society | Infographic | Mobile access and use | Resource | Rural network coverage |

For the 2018 Mobile Connectivity Index report and infographic please click

Mobile money and e-commerce: Three areas of partnership in Southeast Asia

Thursday 20 Jul 2017 | Connected Society | East Asia and Pacific | English | MNOs' operational and strategic issues | Mobile Money | Mobile Money Programme - filter | Report | Resource | South Asia |

Recently, e-commerce providers have highlighted some of the challenges they face in Southeast Asian markets: cash on delivery payments, limited logistical infrastructure, and a lack of customer trust. Mobile money can support ...

Social Impact From Rural Connectivity

Wednesday 12 Jul 2017 | Connected Society | Partnership engagement | Resource | Rural network coverage | Tanzania | Video |

The GSMA has been working with three mobile operators in Tanzania to support the industry to expand commercially sustainable network coverage for mobile internet services to underserved rural populations. In 2017 the project launched ...

Accelerating affordable smartphone ownership in emerging markets

Monday 3 Jul 2017 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Digital literacy | English | Gender | Global | Mobile access and use | Mobile internet for women | Report | Research | Resource |

This is a research study into the smartphone ecosystem landscape and business models that drive affordable smartphone access. It is directed at actors interested in enhancing consumers’ smartphone ownership in emerging markets. ...

Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom join forces to connect the unconnected in rural Tanzania

Tuesday 28 Feb 2017 | Connected Society | English | Global | Resource | Tanzania | Video |

In order to tangibly support its over 800 members in addressing the 3G coverage challenge, the GSMA in partnerships with local operators is developing and testing innovative solutions for efficient and commercially sustainable ...

Country Overview: Pakistan – A Digital Future

Thursday 15 Dec 2016 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Pakistan | Report | Resource | South Asia |

Pakistan’s emerging mobile industry has connected approximately 90 million people, representing 47% of the country’s population. This is one of the lowest penetration rates in South Asia which, coupled with a low mobile broadband ...

Telenor’s mobile internet training project in India: raising awareness of the benefits from getting online

Thursday 27 Oct 2016 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | India | Resource | South Asia | Toolkit |

In a market where mobile internet usage is at a nascent stage and only 35% of the population are online*, offering digital skills training to consumers can be a key lever to accelerating mobile internet adoption and usage. In India, ...

OnionDev’s Mobile Vaani Case Study

Thursday 11 Aug 2016 | Connected Society | English | India | Mobile access and use | Report | Resource | South Asia |

OnionDev provides a voice-based interactive media platform to underserved populations in developing regions, accessible for free through low-end feature phones, enabling even marginalised populations to access information from which ...

Unlocking Rural Coverage: Enablers for commercially sustainable mobile network expansion

Friday 22 Jul 2016 | Connected Society | English | Global | Report | Resource |

Closing the mobile coverage gap is not a technical challenge. It is primarily an economic challenge. Uncovered populations typically live in rural locations with low population densities, low per capita income levels and weak or ...

Consumer Barriers to mobile internet adoption in Africa

Thursday 21 Jul 2016 | Connected Society | English | Report | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa |

GSMA Connected Society is today publishing a report on consumer barriers to mobile internet adoption in Africa. Produced in collaboration with the GSMA Intelligence team, this report focuses on understanding the consumer barriers to ...

Mobile Connectivity Index Launch Report

Friday 24 Jun 2016 | Connected Society | English | Global | Report | Resource |

For the 2018 Mobile Connectivity Index report and infographic please click

Consumer Barriers to Mobile Internet Adoption in Asia

Monday 20 Jun 2016 | China | Connected Society | Digital literacy | East Asia and Pacific | English | India | Indonesia | Mobile access and use | Philippines | Report | Resource | South Asia | Thailand | Vietnam |

This report, produced in collaboration with GSMA Intelligence, focuses on understanding the consumer barriers to digital inclusion in the region. Digital inclusion – defined here as the expansion of global connectivity and mobile ...

Connecting the unconnected in Pune

Friday 17 Jun 2016 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | India | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Video |

This video shows the GSMA Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit being taught in live classes to unconnected trainees in Pune, India.

Introduction to the MISTT: Insights from our partners

Wednesday 25 May 2016 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | MISTT Case Studies | Mobile access and use | Video |

This video introduces the aims and scope of the MISTT and share insights from our partners from Telenor, Idea Cellular and the Digital Empowerment Foundation.

Digital inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean

Tuesday 23 Feb 2016 | Connected Society | English | Latin America & the Caribbean | Report | Resource | Spanish |

Digital inclusion – defined here as the expansion of global connectivity and mobile internet adoption – can deliver broad economic and social benefits by bringing communications services to previously unconnected populations. This in ...

Content in Latin America: Shift to local, shift to mobile

Tuesday 23 Feb 2016 | Connected Society | Latin America & the Caribbean | Resource |

Digital inclusion – defined here as the expansion of global connectivity and mobile internet adoption – can deliver broad economic and social benefits by bringing communications services to previously unconnected populations. This in ...

Closing the coverage gap: Digital inclusion in Latin America

Friday 18 Dec 2015 | Connected Society | Latin America & the Caribbean | Resource |

GSMA Intelligence is today publishing a report on mobile broadband network coverage in Latin America. Produced in collaboration with the GSMA’s Latin America and Connected Society teams, this is the first in a series of reports focused ...

Digital Inclusion and the Role of Mobile in Nigeria

Friday 9 Oct 2015 | Connected Society | English | Nigeria | Report | Resource | Sub-Saharan Africa |

Today mobile services connect over 83 million people in Nigeria, equivalent to 45% of the population, and deliver widespread social and economic benefits. With fixed line penetration only at 0.2%, mobile is best placed to extend access ...

Approaches to Local Content: Realising the Smartphone Opportunity

Tuesday 1 Sep 2015 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Research | Resource |

Mobile connectivity is enabling large parts of the world to come online for the first time. However, the creation and distribution of digital content remains deeply uneven. While nearly half of the world's population are now online ...

Local Content, Digital Skills and International Development

Monday 3 Aug 2015 | Connected Society | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Research | Resource | State of the industry and trends |

In the last decade the Internet has begun to evolve into a genuinely global network. In 2005 only 8% of individuals in the developing world were using the internet. In just 10 years, this number has grown to nearly 5 times the size. ...

Local Content, Smartphones and Digital Inclusion

Saturday 1 Aug 2015 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | English | Global | Mobile access and use | Research | Resource |

In April 2014, USAID launched the US Global Development Lab. It aims to accelerate financial inclusion, improve transparency, and unlock new markets. But the digital revolution delivers more than just economic efficiencies. It ...

Mobile internet usage challenges in Asia — awareness, literacy and local content

Friday 10 Jul 2015 | Connected Society | Digital literacy | East Asia and Pacific | English | Report | Resource |

GSMA’s Digital Inclusion programme and GSMA Intelligence have published a new report on mobile internet usage in Asia. Nearly 800 million new mobile internet subscribers are forecast to come online in Asia Pacific by 2020, the vast ...

Rural Coverage: Strategies for Sustainability

Monday 6 Jul 2015 | Connected Society | English | Global | Report | Resource | Rural network coverage |

This series of country-level case studies, published by GSMA Intelligence in collaboration with the GSMA’s Digital Inclusion programme, demonstrates the approaches being deployed by mobile operators and others to address rural coverage ...

Accelerating Digital Literacy: Empowering women to use the mobile internet

Tuesday 16 Jun 2015 | Connected Society | Connected Women | Country | Digital literacy | English | Gender | Global | India | Indonesia | Language | Mobile access and use | Programme | Region | Report | Research | Resource | Resource Type | Type |

In developing countries, the number of unique subscribers using mobile internet grew from 728 million in 2010 to 1.8 billion in 2014 (source: GSMA Intelligence Q4 2014). Mobile internet access can have profound implications for women’s ...

Closing the Coverage Gap – a view from Asia

Tuesday 9 Jun 2015 | Case study | Connected Society | East Asia and Pacific | English | Resource | Rural network coverage | South Asia |

Affordability and network coverage are the two largest barriers to driving mobile internet access among non-adopters. In this report we focus on network coverage. Globally, 90% of the world's population is covered by 2G networks and ...

Benefits of network competition and complementary policies to promote mobile broadband coverage

Tuesday 17 Feb 2015 | Connected Society | English | Global | Report | Resource | Rural network coverage |

In July 2014, Frontier Economics was commissioned by the GSMA to conduct a study on the merits and potential barriers of promoting mobile broadband coverage under the network competition model. Download:

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