This is the final post in a six-part blog series discussing the key topics of GSMA Ministerial Programme 2016. This prestigious event, held alongside Mobile World Congress, provides a unique platform for the world’s most influential telecommunications leaders to unite and discuss the most pressing issues affecting the future of the mobile industry. This year the Ministerial Programme will be held from 22-25 February at Fira Gran Via, Barcelona.
Matthew Bloxham, Head of GSMA Connected Society
In September 2015 the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals and, in so doing, sparked a wave of new momentum behind the ambition of delivering universal access to the internet. Digital access is now widely recognized as a key enabling platform for, amongst other things, improved healthcare, education, employment and ultimately lower poverty.
With MWC16 just around the corner there’s a growing sense of anticipation about the potential for one or two big announcements on connectivity that could mark 2016 as a year of significant progress.
As head of the Connected Society programme here at the GSMA I have spent much of my time in recent months meeting with like-minded organisations – sharing information about each others current work and future plans, exchanging ideas about how to unlock digital access and pushing forward ideas for closer co-operation. For me, this last aspect – closer co-operation – is crucial. There are many great initiatives underway across Africa, Asia and Latin America, and by pooling efforts we can accelerate the pace of progress and maximize the scale of impact.
There are about 4 billion people around the world who still don’t have access to the Internet. The majority of these people live in developing markets where fixed line networks often have limited reach meaning that the mobile industry has a key role to play in bringing the unconnected online. According to figures from GSMA Intelligence, mobile operators around the world already provide access to the internet- at a rate of nearly one million new customers everyday with 90% of the growth coming from developing markets.
To accelerate progress towards universal access to the internet it is important to understand the issues that need to be addressed. Much of the current debate focuses on extending the reach of broadband-capable network infrastructure to the uncovered. The Connected Society programme is working with operators in a number of markets to develop commercially sustainable models for coverage expansion. Governments can play an enabling role by promoting infrastructure sharing and releasing low frequency spectrum to the mobile industry on reasonable terms.
But we must not lose sight of the 2 billion plus people that live within the footprint of broadband-capable mobile networks but have yet to access the internet. Unlocking demand amongst this population group involves a different set of challenges – ensuring mobile devices and services are not taxed as luxury goods, helping people gain the digital skills needed to understand how to use the internet and facilitating the development of online content and services that are localized and relevant. The GSMA is actively working with operators on initiatives across affordability, digital literacy and online content to help empower individuals to get online.
With mutual recognition of the central role of digital access in delivering on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it is important that the private and public sectors redouble efforts to achieve greater alignment on the key enabling policies of a shared goal – the internet for all.
For more information on the GSMA Connected Living programme, please visit http://www.gsma.com/connectedsociety/
For more information on the Ministerial Programme, please visit http://www.ministerialprogramme.com/