2024 Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals

While more people than ever before are connecting to the internet via mobile, the rate of growth has continued to slow. In 2023, an additional 160 million people started using mobile internet on their device, which is similar to the increase in 2022 but less than the additional number of people using mobile internet each year between 2015 and 2021. There was a marginal 1 percentage-point reduction in the coverage gap,²¹ with 96% of the global population now living within the footprint of a mobile broadband network.

Consequently, the vast majority of those not connected continue to live in areas with mobile broadband coverage but face other barriers to adoption. GSMA research indicates that barriers related to affordability (particularly of internet-enabled handsets), as well as a lack of literacy and digital skills, are most often reported and ranked as top barriers.²² Relevance and safety and security are reported less often but are still significant barriers to mobile internet adoption.

Operators and their partners have implemented several initiatives to address the usage gap. This includes offering financing options to make smartphones more accessible for a wider range of consumers, promoting digital skills and education, introducing relevant content and services, and educating parents and children on the risks associated with spending time online.

Stakeholder recommendations

A study by the Broadband Commission reported that between $428 billion and $2 trillion of investment was needed to ensure universal connectivity. It also concluded that the investment, funding and financing models that enabled earlier infrastructure development and its utilisation no longer suffice. To augment and expand on the current models, the study recommended broadening the base of contributors to include companies participating in and benefiting from the digital economy. This needs to happen alongside other actions needed to drive adoption and usage.

A study by the Broadband Commission reported that between $428 billion and $2 trillion of investment was needed to ensure universal connectivity. It also concluded that the investment, funding and financing models that enabled earlier infrastructure development and its utilisation no longer suffice.²³ To augment and expand on the current models, the study recommended broadening the base of contributors to include companies participating in and benefiting from the digital economy. This needs to happen alongside other actions needed to drive adoption and usage, as highlighted in Figure 9.

Mobile internet adoption faces significant barriers among specific population segments, including the poorest, rural residents, women, people with disabilities and older people – or a combination thereof. Driving mobile internet adoption among these user segments remains a focus for operators globally. This plays a key role in supporting the mobile industry’s contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Increasing mobile internet adoption among women is a key industry priority. In 2023, the gender gap in mobile internet adoption across LMICs narrowed for the first time in three years, from 19% in 2022 to 15% in 2023. This returns the gender gap to levels observed in 2020. There was a similar trend for the gender gap in smartphone ownership, which narrowed slightly from 15% in 2022 to 13% in 2023. But the gender gap in overall mobile ownership remained relatively unchanged at 8%.²⁷

Stakeholder recommendations

In general, barriers to mobile internet adoption are similar for both male and female users.²⁹ However, women tend to experience these barriers more acutely than men due to structural inequalities, including disparities in access to education and income. Furthermore, analysis shows that even when women have the same education, income, literacy and employment levels as men, they are still less likely to use mobile internet, suggesting other issues are at play, such as discrimination and social norms.³⁰ This highlights the need for the mobile industry and policymakers to explicitly address women’s needs, circumstances and challenges in the design and implementation of mobile-related products, services, interventions and policies.^31,32 The GSMA also provides recommendations for increasing mobile internet adoption among other underserved groups. For example, the GSMA has produced a framework for action to increase digital inclusion for people with disabilities.³³ Steps include understanding the context of digital inclusion for people with disabilities by gathering data and evidence and integrating a disability-inclusion perspective into relevant policies.

Unlocking the full transformative power of mobile requires individuals to access new and enriching online services that can accelerate social and economic inclusion. Using mobile to engage in life-enhancing activities is particularly important in LMICs, where access to traditional services is often lacking, particularly in areas such as education and healthcare.

However, the gap between the usage of mobile-enabled services in high-income countries (HICs) and LMICs is significant (20 percentage points on average across the use cases assessed). The biggest gaps can be found in mobile use cases such as buying goods or services and accessing health services or information. The gap tends to be smaller when a financial account or formal identification is not required, which is typically the case for activities such as using mobile to watch videos or access information to support training, learning or education.

Stakeholder recommendations

There is some overlap with the steps needed to increase mobile internet adoption (e.g. improving affordability, boosting digital skills and addressing security concerns) and those needed to reduce the disparity in mobile usage between HICs and LMICs. There is also an opportunity for governments in LMICs to move more services online to spur mobile internet usage. For instance, public services such as healthcare, education and administrative processes can be provided through a digital alternative – which not only increases convenience and efficiency but also fosters digital literacy and engagement among the population. This emphasises the importance of mobile solutions to a range of SDGs, including SDG 1: No Poverty, SDG 2: Zero Hunger, SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.

The mobile sector plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of AI, contributing to the industry’s SDG impact in multiple areas. Operators are investing heavily in AI solutions to optimise and automate networks, enabling them to provide better services while also reducing energy emissions. For example, Telenor is using advanced data analytics to reduce power consumption and CO₂ emissions in its radio networks, while AT&T anticipates and avoids network service outages by using predictive models that employ AI and statistical algorithms.

At the same time, mobile operators can provide AI capabilities to third parties on a commercial basis. They may deliver AI as a platform capability or they may employ AI to process network data for analytics for third-party organisations, such as governments, traffic planning authorities, energy providers and other commercial organisations. For instance, XL Axiata, the Jakarta municipal government and Nodeflux have developed a flood detection solution. This allows Jakarta’s government to better anticipate floods, alert citizens and respond more effectively, helping to reduce injury and loss of life and property.⁴⁷

Mobile operators can also provide governments and public agencies with AI solutions and big data analytics to tackle a wide range of social challenges. For example, mobile operators combined AI and analytics expertise with their mobile network data during the Covid-19 pandemic to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, helping governments to optimise the allocation of health resources, plan appropriate public transport capacity and allocate social support where it was needed most.⁴⁸ Operators can deliver valuable insights that can help to address other pressing challenges, such as tackling pollution, the need for better healthcare and transport and responding effectively to extreme weather and natural disasters.

Stakeholder recommendations

Policymakers and regulators can drive AI innovation and promote responsible use by funding AI and mobile data R&D in both the public and private sectors. Implementing regulatory sandboxes for testing new concepts will enhance key public services. These opportunities allow operators to partner not only for connectivity but also for co-creating solutions.

In developing their national digital or AI strategies or other policies around these topics, governments should look to leverage resources such as the UN Development Programme’s AI Landscape Assessment, which is a tool to evaluate a country’s readiness to integrate AI technologies within governmental frameworks. The framework focuses on the dual role of governments as both facilitators of technological advancement and users of AI in the public sector. Critically, it prioritises ethical considerations surrounding AI use through key elements such as policies, infrastructure and skills.⁴⁹

Effective collaboration between public and private sectors is needed to drive significant improvements to the SDGs, as outlined by SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. This is especially true for the development of AI, where collaboration between various stakeholders is essential for ethical AI governance.

Mobile operators partner with academic institutions, government agencies and non-profit organisations to develop and implement best practices for AI ethics. For instance, Deutsche Telekom collaborated with the European Commission and academic institutions to research and establish AI ethics guidelines. Such collaborations facilitate knowledge sharing and the development of standardised ethical guidelines for responsible AI deployment.

At an organisation level, mobile operators are also taking proactive steps to ensure ethical AI implementation. Examples include Telefónica’s Principles of AI guide, which focuses on the responsible use of AI and big data across the company, and Telstra’s Risk Council for AI and Data, which considers the broader human, societal and environmental impacts of AI systems.

To support operators with ethical AI design, development and deployment, the GSMA has published the AI Ethics Industry Playbook.⁵⁰ The playbook and the self-assessment questionnaire⁵¹ are practical tools helping to bridge the gap between ethical principles and ethical practice. Additionally, the Mobile Privacy Principles are another important example of a practical tool for promoting business practices that provide meaningful transparency, notice, choice and control for mobile users regarding their personal information and privacy protection.⁵²

Furthermore, the GSMA’s Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap, which was developed with expert input, supports operators to fully capture their AI potential. As an overarching, industry-agnostic framework it details the necessary elements required to progress in responsible AI maturity. The roadmap defines five core underlying dimensions, which are further broken down into 20 sub-dimensions in order to identify all the responsible AI components that need to be established. The maturity roadmap then looks at four maturity levels and enables operators to assess their maturity based on current AI practices. It gives recommendations on what operators need to have in place to progress to the next maturity level. The levels were built to be factual and positively framed and incorporate the latest guidance and expert advice.

Stakeholder recommendations

Collaboration between the mobile industry, policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders is essential to create a thriving and safe environment for AI development that encourages the development of inclusive solutions in a responsible way. International and regional partnerships should be encouraged. Partnerships such as the Global Partnership on AI and the OECD’s Working Party on Artificial Intelligence Governance facilitate dialogue and best-practice sharing beyond national borders. Moreover, global technology companies,⁵³ along with the GSMA, have partnered together to integrate values and principes of Unesco’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence when designing and deploying AI systems.

In addition, stakeholders need to be aware of the energy impact of AI solutions. The energy impact of genAI is particularly significant due to the substantial computational power required for training and running advanced models. As AI adoption grows, it is crucial to develop and implement more energy-efficient algorithms and leverage renewable energy to mitigate environmental impacts and ensure the sustainable advancement of AI technologies.

Raising awareness and providing education about safe and responsible AI practices is a critical aspect of maximising the potential of AI solutions. Operator initiatives are helping diverse populations understand AI and its safety concerns while addressing the needs of underserved communities. Some examples include Singtel’s work in Singapore to narrow the digital gap for older citizens and Veon’s Beeline Academy in Uzbekistan, which trains youth in data protection, cybersecurity and AI. These efforts are bridging the digital divide and promoting inclusive access to technology, supporting a range of SDGs, including SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Furthermore, the GSMA and IBM announced a collaboration in January 2024 to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of genAI and the development of AI skills in the telecoms industry. Two initiatives are being launched: GSMA Advance’s AI Training programme and the GSMA Foundry genAI challenge and programme. These initiatives aim to equip industry professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of AI responsibly and ethically. The GSMA also offers training on key AI-related policy and regulatory issues faced by the regulatory authorities today through its Capacity Building programme.

Stakeholder recommendations

Mobile operators and their partners should implement initiatives such as AI apprenticeship programmes and specialised AI training courses to develop AI talent across their organisations  In addition, mobile operators and their partners should launch awareness campaigns that target all groups within society to ensure equitable and safe acceptance of AI. These campaigns should focus on highlighting AI best practices and common concerns in order to foster a well-informed, inclusive and supportive environment for AI adoption.

GSMA research identified a lack of focus on building local, inclusive and sustainable AI solutions that can help address the SDGs in Africa.⁵⁴ The research highlights the pressing need to identify and test models and use cases that can address development challenges, are tailored to meet the specific needs of local communities and have the potential to be scaled up to amplify their impact. Considering the diverse contexts and cultures across Africa, fostering equitable partnerships to build AI use cases for development and nurture the growth of local ecosystems will be critical to harness the potential of AI to help achieve the SDGs on the continent.