Commercial 5G services have now expanded to every corner of the globe, transforming it into a truly global technology. As of September 2023, a total of 297 operators across 100 markets have launched 5G mobile services. By the end of this year, the number of 5G connections worldwide is expected to reach a staggering 1.5 billion, representing 17% of all mobile connections. Furthermore, 5G networks will cover over a third of the world’s population.

In Africa, the journey towards 5G is gaining momentum. Recent 5G network launches in Nigeria and Mozambique by Airtel and Vodacom, as well as 5G spectrum auctions in Namibia, Senegal, and Uganda, showcase the continent’s growing interest in this transformative technology. Currently, there are 27 5G operators in 16 African markets, and many more are expected to join in the coming months and years as governments and other stakeholders harness 5G to address some of society’s most pressing challenges. Hosted by GSMA Intelligence, the 5G Summit at MWC Kigali served as the premier platform for stakeholders to exchange ideas regarding efficient network deployment, innovative applications, and forward-looking regulations to drive 5G rollout and adoption.

In 2023, this summit brought together leaders and professionals from government, the mobile industry, and adjacent verticals. They shared their visions and expectations for the 5G era, making bold commitments towards realising 5G’s potential in Africa. The event featured insightful keynotes, engaging panel discussions, 5G showcases, and numerous networking opportunities.

Our distinguished speakers at the 2023 5G Summit included:

• Kenechi Okeleke, Director at GSMA Intelligence
• Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA
• Hassan Jaber, Chief Operating Officer, MTN
• Jocelyn Karakula, Network and Information Technology Director, Orange
• Li Tao, President of Huawei Southern Africa Wireless Business, Huawei
• Jidia Gasana, Enterprise Director, Airtel
• Philip Besiimire, Managing Director, Vodacom Tanzania Plc
• Frehiwot Tamru, CEO ethio telecom
• Jean Philbert Nsengimana (Phil), Chief Digital Advisor, Africa CDC
• Axel Hansmann, Director of Industrial IoT Security, Rohde & Schwarz
• Caroline Kamaitha, Vice President Africa, Enterprise & Cloud, SES Satellites
• Amir Abdelazim, Expert Partner, Detecon International
• Elizabeth Migwalla, Vice President, International Government Affairs, Qualcomm
• Léandre Berwa, Chief Executive Officer, SLS Energy
• Afef Boulares, Manager Orange Fab
• Geofrey Mutabazi, Co-Founder and CEO, Karaa Africa

We also extend our thanks to our sponsors, Detecon International, Huawei, SES Satellites, Rohde & Schwarz, and Qualcomm, for their invaluable support in making this event a resounding success.

GSMA Intelligence recently attended Huawei’s annual Mobile Broadband Forum, which took place October 10-11 in Dubai. In this edition of our DataPoint, the first of two covering our takeaways from the event, Peter Jarich is joined by Emanuel Kolta and Tim Hatt to unpack the messaging and demos related to the next generation of 5G services – what Huawei calls 5.5G.

What does that mean in practice? Can telcos monetise new services enabled by this network advancement? And, what does it mean for the sustainability agenda?

Read more about the research with Huawei here

The financial case for going green in telecoms is about lower costs and higher revenues. Costs are a focal point, as energy is still a stubbornly high burden on profit and loss, at 20-40% of opex for the average operator.

The shift to renewables will help reduce this – but it takes time, so energy efficiencies are a priority. The green revenue story is less developed but equally important. This applies in the consumer segment (e.g. device-recycling schemes or bundling energy into mobile and/or broadband tariffs) and in the enterprise segment as part of digitisation programmes.

This Datapoint from Tim Hatt, expands on a recent report we published on the topic, which we expect to hear more on with COP28 approaching in December.

Read the related research here.

GSMA Intelligence hosted the Sustainability Summit at MWC Las Vegas 2023 (September), where our expert lineup explored the key trends, technologies, and market dynamics shaping the industry’s sustainable future.

As the mobile industry is rapidly evolving, sustainability has emerged as the number 1 strategic priority for 85% of telco operators.

The sessions covered the energy implications and strategies for telcos and their partners that go beyond the RAN and core network, encompassing cloud, edge compute, passive infrastructure sharing, and more intelligent energy analytics, while it also shed light on the often overlooked financial element and incentives of the green pivot.

Thanks to our sponsors AMD, vechain, Intel Corporation and Arm for making this happen, and our stellar lineup of industry experts consisting of:

• John Morris from AMD
• Dominique Vanhamme from Lenovo
• Cristina Rodriguez from Intel Corporation
• Sunny Lu from vechain
• Bhushan Joshi from Ericsson
• Alexandra Rasch Castillo from Caban
• Fernando Torres from Accenture
• Jason Smith from GSMA Services
• Stephen Rose from IBM
• Moderated by Tim Hatt from GSMA Intelligence.

Watch the video via the embedded link or direct from the GSMA YouTube channel here.

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If you would like to explore sponsorship opportunities for upcoming GSMA Intelligence summits please get in touch.

Download GSMA Intelligence’s slides from Tim Hatt’s Session:

GSMA Intelligence hosted the Satellite and NTN Summit at MWC 2023 to explore the transformative impact of satellite networks, driven by the inclusion of satellite connectivity in Apple’s iPhone 14.

With expanding coverage from LEO operators like Starlink and OneWeb and the formalization of non-terrestrial networks in 3GPP standards, telco-satellite partnerships are gaining momentum, promising increased coverage and revenues.

This summit dove into the top strategic priorities and the emerging potential of satellite networks in revolutionising global connectivity. Our expert line-up explored their ability to drive substantial revenue impact across consumer and B2B/IoT segments while reshaping the competitive dynamics within the satellite industry.

Topics covered:

• Strategic priorities for satellite integration in mobile networks (4G and 5G).
• Technological advances at the chipset and device level.
• Viable business models in telco-satellite partnerships.
• Impact of satellite connectivity on internet access, customer adoption, and revenue growth.

Speakers:

• Alex Sinclair, CTO at GSMA
• Ken Peterman, CEO at Comtech
• Anirban Chakraborty, CTO at Comtech
• Bryan Helmick, Product Manager at Rohde & Schwarz
• Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO at Skylo Technologies
• Mahmoud Khafagy, Director of Product Management at Lynk
• Amina Boubendir, Ph.D., Head of Research and Standarization at Airbus
• Paul Jacobs, CEO at Globalstar
• James King, Sales Director at SES
• Tim Hatt, Head of Research and Consulting at GSMA Intelligence

Watch the video via the embedded link or direct from the GSMA YouTube channel here.

To stay updated around our upcoming events, new content and latest data subscribe to our newsletter and get the latest news direct to your inbox weekly.

If you would like to explore sponsorship opportunities for upcoming GSMA Intelligence summits please get in touch.

Download GSMA Intelligence’s slides from Tim Hatt’s Session:

The Automotive Edge Computing Consortium has partnered with GSMA Intelligence to evaluate the investments, challenges, and opportunities associated with Edge Computing Networks. Key players in the Edge computing value chain are expected to increase YoY investments in this area.

Edge computing is a crucial element of enterprises’ overall digital strategy and should be seamlessly integrated with other technologies, such as AI/ML. Listen to the datapoint from Silvia Presello, Lead Analyst from GSMA Intelligence who covers this topic in more detail.