Assessing the impact of mobile consolidation on innovation and quality

Over the past decade, mobile operators in Africa have invested significantly to expand network coverage and capacity. Despite this investment, the region has not seen the same level of growth in the adoption and use of mobile internet. To help address this, in 2024, the GSMA launched the first Digital Africa Index (DAI). This provides a comprehensive assessment that helps countries in Africa understand how advanced they are in integrating digital technologies into their societies and economies. It also offers guidance on the interventions required to accelerate growth. This report accompanies the launch of the third edition of the Digital Africa Index.

B2B has emerged as a strategic growth area for operators and the wider tech/digital ecosystem. As the digital transformation of vertical sectors accelerates, gaining insights directly from enterprises is key. GSMA Intelligence surveyed more than 430 enterprises across six countries in Africa, from 10 vertical sectors, to gain insight into their digital transformation. The research focused on strategic objectives, investment plans, use of technology, deployment challenges, supplier decisions, tech sovereignty, and policy and regulation.

Mobile is now central to economic diversification across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The region has some of the world’s most advanced 5G markets across the Gulf Cooperation Council states, but large parts of MENA's population remain offline, and the 2026 regional conflict has shown how vulnerable digital infrastructure is. In addition to exploring these areas, this report examines how 5G, AI infrastructure and digital identity are transforming the region and explores what policymakers need to do to support operators.