Written by GSMA
Countries which have achieved the biggest improvements in mobile connectivity have also typically made greater strides towards the UN 2030 Agenda, according to the GSMA’s Mobile Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) published today.
Asia-Pacific for example has seen significant scaling of mobile between 2015-2022 and a sharp rise in the number of unique subscribers and mobile connections. Together, the faster network speeds facilitated by the roll-out of 4G and 5G technologies, the decline in prices and increase in smartphone adoption, ushered in a wave of new digital services that underpinned an uptake in the region’s SDG contribution.
Developed markets with higher levels of mobile connectivity, such as North America and Europe, typically achieve higher levels of SDG impact. For example, in North America, 85% of the region’s population subscribe to mobile internet services, and the region’s 5G maturity is supporting the industry’s SDG contribution by spurring the use of new applications and services across different sectors; while in Europe, over 70% of mobile users use their devices for video calls, mobile financial services or for obtaining information on products and services, contributing to a range of SDGs.
