As it held its annual board meeting in India for the first time in 10 years, global mobile industry trade association the GSMA said it is considering how comms markets can contribute their expertise, innovation and intellectual property to the development of 6G while optimising advanced 5G networks.
Looking to use its conference in New Delhi to set out priorities for what it said would be the next era of connectivity, the GSMA noted how much has changed in the local comms industry since it was last in the country. It highlighted how India is currently a leader in mobile connectivity, with 1.2 billion active connections, 450 million of which are 5G, underpinning India’s growing digital economy.
Looking to agree on actions to boost the market, the GSMA said it stood ready to use its global platforms to support technologies and innovators from across the mobile ecosystem, increase their exposure in international markets and advance collaboration on the next era of connectivity.
Moreover, with 5G adoption accelerating across markets, discussions focused on how sustainable market structures can support investment in new technologies and how advanced capabilities, including network slicing, can create value across the wider economy.
Outlining the market in which it was working, the GSMA remarked that globally, mobile technologies and services generated $6tn in economic value in 2025, equivalent to 6.4% of global GDP, and this contribution is projected to reach $11.3tn by 2030.
In addition, it presented research calculating that by 2030, 57% of all mobile connections are expected to run on 5G. Operators are projected to invest $1.2tn in capital expenditure between 2025 and 2030 as they expand and upgrade networks. India’s rapid 5G deployment was highlighted as one example of the progress enabled by sustained investment and clear market ambition.
“By working through global standards and collaborating across markets, we can accelerate innovation, strengthen trust and resilience, and ensure the benefits of connectivity are realised worldwide,” said GSMA chair Gopal Vittal. “India’s rapid 5G adoption and deployment of digital public infrastructure show how scale, talent and ambition can drive inclusive growth and help shape the next era of connectivity.”
Expanding access to digital technologies was a central theme of the meeting. Although 97% of the global population lives within mobile broadband coverage, the GSMA stated that 3.4 billion people still do not use mobile internet. Participants considered how industry, governments and the wider device ecosystem can work together to close this usage gap, particularly as the memory crisis has driven significant cost increases for entry-level smartphones.
The meeting also observed that in low- and middle-income countries, an entry-level internet-enabled handset costs the poorest 20% of people the equivalent of 44% of their average monthly income, rising to 76% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Potential measures discussed included financing, targeted tax reductions and closer collaboration across the full device supply chain, including memory suppliers and device manufacturers.
Going forward, participants shared a commitment to maintaining global standards and preserving the industry-wide benefits delivered through global alignment since 4G. Harmonisation of spectrum is also critical to scale and affordability.
Countries accounting for more than 80% of the world’s population now support mobile use of the upper 6GHz band, following its identification at WRC-23. The band can enable the 200-400 MHz channel bandwidths, something that the GSMA expects to be required for mobile evolution in the forthcoming era of 6G.
