Underpinning the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a shared promise by every country to work together to secure the rights and wellbeing of everyone on a healthy, thriving planet. However, at the halfway point on the way to 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in deep trouble. This report demonstrates the mobile industry's continued commitment to the goals, and identifies areas where the industry needs to improve or accelerate its actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

Without sufficient low-band spectrum, the digital divide is likely to widen, and those living in rural areas will be excluded from the latest digital technologies. This report shows, for the first time, the specific economic impact of 5G using low-band spectrum. The report also provides distribution of 5G low-band benefits by use case and by region, and uncovers the industries that will benefit the most.

This seventh annual SDG impact report demonstrates the mobile industry's continued commitment to the SDGs while identifying areas where the industry needs to improve or accelerate its actions to deliver on the Global Goals by 2030.

This sixth edition of this report looks at the increased impact the mobile industry has had on achieving the SDGs in the last year and explores what more it needs to do to reach these ambitious goals. It also examines the role the mobile industry has played during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021 highlights how the mobile gender gap continues to improve in South Asia, but less so in other regions. It explores the key barriers preventing women's equal access to mobile internet as well as the rise of women's smartphone ownership, notably in India.

Despite the investments of the telecoms sector to expand 4G mobile broadband coverage, 4G is yet to emerge as the dominant form of mobile technology in Bangladesh. This suggests a lag between 4G coverage rollout and usage of 4G services. The lag is largely explained by issues related to the affordability of devices, low levels of knowledge and digital skills, a perceived lack of relevance, and safety and security concerns.

With 5G rollouts and adoption progressing quickly, and with the millimetre wave (mmWave) ecosystem showing signs of readiness, the question that the mobile industry faces today is whether and where mmWave solutions can be cost effective. In this report, we focus on the critical question of its deployment costs.

Since the mobile industry committed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, the sector has been measuring progress annually. This fifth edition of the report looks at the increased impact the mobile industry has had on achieving the goals in the last year and explores what more it needs to do in the next 10 years to reach these ambitious goals. It also examines the role the mobile industry has played during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2020 examines how the mobile gender gap is changing quickly in LMICs, revealing how the main factors preventing women's equal mobile ownership and internet use are evolving over time, and demonstrating how mobile usage is quickly expanding as smartphone ownership rises.

The ongoing uptake of mobile and mobile-enabled services around the world has seen the mobile industry increase its contribution to all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the last year. The industry has continued to transform the lives of billions around the world. However, progress must be accelerated if the industry is to fully maximise its impact by 2030.

The growth of the mobile industry has driven an unprecedented increase in digital inclusion in low- and middle-income countries. Since 2014, mobile operators have connected 700 million new subscribers and another billion have gained access to the internet through a mobile phone, many for the first time. Despite this growth, mobile ownership still remains far from universal, particularly for women. Women in low- and middle-income countries are 10 per cent less likely than men to own a mobile, and 23 per cent less likely to use mobile internet.

This latest report from GSMA Intelligence examines mobile sector taxation over time and its impact on connectivity. The report highlights the taxes applied to mobile services and how certain taxes can raise the affordability barrier and reduce the ability of citizens to take part in digital society. It also explores the impact of uncertain tax regimes on operators’ ability to continue investing in new networks.

The positive contribution of the mobile sector to the economy is well recognised. However, the tax treatment of the sector is not always aligned with best-practice principles of taxation and can affect the levels of development of digital societies across a region.

The Global Mobile Radar series focuses on potential drivers of innovation and disruption across the digital economy. These reports highlight potential scenarios and examine the implications of these disruptions for a range of industry players, including the mobile operators. The reports are intended to be the basis for discussion and do not represent official GSMA positions on these future developments.

The positive contribution of the mobile sector to the economy is well recognised. However, the tax treatment of the sector is not always aligned with best-practice principles of taxation, and may distort the continued development of the sector. Faced with considerable challenges in having to balance public sector budgets, some governments in Latin America apply additional, sector-specific taxes on consumers and mobile operators.

At the United Nations General Assembly Week, the GSMA published the 2017 Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals – the second annual study assessing the mobile industry’s impact in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report, produced by GSMA Intelligence, measures the progress that the industry is making against the SDGs. It also sets out several commitments and initiatives that the GSMA and its members will focus on delivering over the next year, contributing further to achieving the SDGs.

The positive contribution of the mobile sector to the economy is well recognised. However, the tax treatment of the sector is not always aligned with best-practice principles of taxation; this may have a distortive impact on the industry’s development.

Around 40% of people in the developing world now actively subscribe to mobile services, with many more having access to a mobile, if not direct ownership. Mobile access in these regions has outpaced the rate at which much of the population is gaining access to basic services such as electricity, sanitation, and banking. As such, there has been increased focus on the role mobile can play in improving social, economic and environmental development in emerging markets.

Pakistan has grown quickly to become the tenth-largest mobile market in the world, prompting numerous international operators to invest in the market. However, after many quarters of strong growth, the market saw a decline in the number of mobile connections in the last quarter of 2008. According to GSMA Intelligence data, connections shrunk by 0.33% in Q4, 2008, due mainly to declines at Mobilink, the market leader. On an annual basis, the market still grew by almost 17% but this was almost half the growth rate seen a year earlier