Spectrum pricing in developing countries

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 350 enterprises across China, 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.

Africa has expanded mobile broadband coverage significantly, but a substantial connectivity gap remains. This report examines how spectrum availability, pricing and licensing conditions affect operators’ ability to expand coverage, improve network quality and support digital adoption. It provides a comprehensive assessment of Africa’s current spectrum policy and licensing landscape, highlighting key challenges around spectrum assignments, pricing, licence obligations, technology neutrality, spectrum roadmaps and licence duration.

Asia Pacific is entering a new phase of digital development. As digital platforms become integral to economic activity, public services, finance, communications and emerging technologies such as AI, trust becomes a critical enabler of digital transformation. This report examines the trust imperative across Asia Pacific, examines the results of the Digital Nations Index in the context of trust, outlines the role of mobile operators as guardians of digital trust, and presents priorities for strengthening the foundations of digital trust for governments, regulators, operators and international cooperation institutions.