GSMA promotes spread of smartphones in poor countries

GSMA promotes spread of smartphones in poor countries is profiled by BTW Media because public-source evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• GSMA launches a global alliance of businesses, organisations and financial institutions to make smartphones affordable for poorest people.
• They will assess how to reduce the cost of entering digital economy for low-income people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

OUR TAKE 
38% of the world’s population lives in areas where mobile internet is inaccessible due to barriers such as high costs and lack of skills. In many low and middle-income countries, mobile phones are often the only way people can access the internet. Addressing these issues requires integrated policy support and global cooperation.
–Zora Lin, BTW reporter

What happened

Telecom industry group GSMA announces that it is launching a global alliance of businesses, organisations and financial institutions on Wednesday, seeking to make smartphones more accessible and affordable for some of the world’s poorest people.

GSMA says in a statement that the alliance will be made up of mobile operators and providers, as well as global bodies such as the World Bank Group, the United Nations’ agency ITU and the WEF Edison Alliance.

They will assess how to reduce the cost of entering digital economy for low-income people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the report says.

“The affordability of mobile phones is often cited as the biggest barrier to getting people online,” GSMA says.

The alliance will work together to improve access to affordable internet-connected devices to close the “access gap”, which will enable some 3 billion people around the world to reach their maximum potential in the digital economy.

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Why it’s important

With around 3 billion people expected to benefit, this initiative has the potential to significantly narrow the digital divide and enable billions of people to fully participate in the digital economy, thereby maximising their socio-economic potential, promoting education, healthcare and social connectivity.

The alliance brings together mobile operators, financial institutions and global organisations to enhance the effectiveness of a global collective response to the challenge of smartphone affordability.

Improving smartphone affordability directly supports global development goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, helping to reduce poverty, boost economic growth, and secure more rights for marginalised communities.