{"id":21467,"date":"2024-07-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=21467"},"modified":"2024-07-10T12:23:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T11:23:37","slug":"new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/","title":{"rendered":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Global Mobile Operators, the World Bank Group, ITU, and other global institutions <\/em>come together to improve handset affordability<\/em> <\/em>for lower-income populations. <\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 July 2024, London<\/strong>: A new global coalition which will drive innovative solutions to boost handset affordability for some of the world\u2019s poorest populations was today announced by the GSMA. Members include major global mobile operators, vendors, device ecosystem players, international organisations and financing institutions, such as the World Bank Group, the ITU and the WEF Edison Alliance. The coalition will collaborate to improve access to affordable internet-enabled devices to close the \u2018Usage Gap\u2019, which holds back around three billion people worldwide from maximising their potential in the global digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile remains the primary \u2013 and often only \u2013 way people in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) access the internet, accounting for 84% of broadband connections in 2023. Yet three billion people \u2013 38% of the world\u2019s population \u2013 live in areas covered by mobile internet but do not use it due to barriers, including digital literacy and skills, lack of relevant content, online safety and access. Handset affordability is often recognised as the most significant barrier to get people online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new coalition will assess multiple \u2018levers\u2019 to reduce the cost of entry into the digital economy for low-income populations, with particular focus on LMICs and areas where handset affordability presents the highest barrier to getting online, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. By exploring new solutions including \u2018de-risking\u2019 financing mechanisms, with the support of the World Bank Group, the coalition will enhance and complement ongoing efforts to expand digital access and affordability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going forward, the GSMA will continue to facilitate close collaboration between coalition members to share learnings, asses, and deploy tailored innovative models that can effectively narrow the usage gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, said: \u201cMobile has helped billions of people worldwide to play an active role in our increasingly digital world, but the cost of entry can still be too high for many on low incomes. Together with global mobile operators, and the support of the World Bank Group and other key coalition members, we\u2019re determined to act on this issue.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy building creative solutions to bring mobile internet into the hands of those who need it the most, we believe we can make real strides towards closing the Usage Gap and help millions more maximise their potential by getting online.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guangzhe Chen, Vice President for Infrastructure from the World Bank said: \u201cMaking internet connected devices more affordable is critical to accelerating digitalization in developing countries and ensuring no one is left behind. We\u2019ve seen the power of digital technologies to unlock growth and job creation and to ease access to education and health services, but people must first be connected to make this a reality. This coalition brings together key players across industry and the development community to help bring this aspiration to life.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of the ITU added: \u201cIn an age of unimaginable digital opportunities, devices are still out of reach for too many. With the 2025 Broadband Commission affordability target on the horizon, this new global coalition is an excellent complement to the work of the Commission\u2019s Working Group on Smartphone Access. It has the power to accelerate affordability and bring us one step closer to universal meaningful connectivity, a cornerstone of ITU\u2019s mission and our digital future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s announcement of the Handset Affordability Coalition represents a tangible commitment from the mobile industry towards tackling the most substantial barrier to mobile adoption worldwide, and is backed by the GSMA\u2019s Breaking Barriers campaign, which calls for greater focus and collaboration between governments and the mobile industry to address the multiple challenges holding back individuals from getting online.  For more information and a full list of coalition members, please see https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/solutions-and-impact\/connectivity-for-good\/external-affairs\/home\/gsma-handset-affordability-coalition\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

-ENDS-<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About GSMA<\/strong>
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today\u2019s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world\u2019s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Contacts<\/strong>
GSMA Press Office
pressoffice@gsma.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Global Mobile Operators, the World Bank Group, ITU, and other global institutions come together to improve handset affordability for lower-income populations. 10 July 2024, London: A new global coalition which will drive innovative solutions to boost handset affordability for some of the world\u2019s poorest populations was today announced by the GSMA. Members include major global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":21469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[6627],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Global Mobile Operators, the World Bank Group, ITU, and other global institutions come together to improve handset affordability for lower-income populations. 10 July 2024, London: A new global coalition which will drive innovative solutions to boost handset affordability for some of the world\u2019s poorest populations was today announced by the GSMA. Members include major global […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-10T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-10T11:23:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cgill@gsma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GSMA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cgill@gsma.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide - Newsroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide","og_description":"Global Mobile Operators, the World Bank Group, ITU, and other global institutions come together to improve handset affordability for lower-income populations. 10 July 2024, London: A new global coalition which will drive innovative solutions to boost handset affordability for some of the world\u2019s poorest populations was today announced by the GSMA. Members include major global […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","article_published_time":"2024-07-10T09:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-10T11:23:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":616,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cgill@gsma.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GSMA","twitter_site":"@GSMA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cgill@gsma.com","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/"},"author":{"name":"cgill@gsma.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/550036a9184b58b259257a930cdccfb6"},"headline":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide","datePublished":"2024-07-10T09:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-10T11:23:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/"},"wordCount":792,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/","name":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide - Newsroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-07-10T09:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-10T11:23:37+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","width":616,"height":450,"caption":"Two people are seated on the ground, one holding a baby. One person is holding a smartphone displaying a message. They are surrounded by straw or dried grass and are dressed in colorful clothing, with one person wearing a red hat and the other wearing a white hat."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/new-gsma-handset-affordability-coalition-will-accelerate-access-to-smartphones-for-low-income-populations-worldwide\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New GSMA \u2018Handset Affordability Coalition\u2019 will accelerate access to smartphones for low income populations worldwide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"GSMA","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/GSMA_logo_colour_web.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"GSMA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gsma\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GSMA","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gsmaonline\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/12380","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/GSMAOnline"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/550036a9184b58b259257a930cdccfb6","name":"cgill@gsma.com"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/Kenya-616x450-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21467"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21467"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21474,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21467\/revisions\/21474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21467"},{"taxonomy":"algolia_discover_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/algolia_discover_type?post=21467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}