Mobile Industry Steps Up Commitment to Delivering Sustainable Development Goals

A new GSMA study shows increased contribution by the mobile industry against all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) over the past year.

The 2019 edition of the GSMA’s Mobile Industry Impact Report, published today at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, highlights the role mobile technology and connectivity is playing in meeting the targets of the SDGs and transforming the lives of billions around the world.

However, the report warns that progress must be accelerated if the industry is to fully maximise its impact ahead of the 2030 deadline for delivering the Goals.

“Our new flagship report presents a wealth of evidence to demonstrate how mobile is delivering the SDGs by reducing poverty, improving healthcare and education, and driving sustainable economic growth,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA.

“This has been achieved by extending mobile broadband networks to all corners of the world, resulting in almost a billion new people connecting to the mobile internet since 2015. But to maximise our impact over the next decade, we need to ensure that the half of the population not yet on the internet is connected affordably, safely and equipped with critical digital skills.”

Since 2016, when the mobile industry became one of the first sectors in the world to commit to the SDGs, around 400 million new people have started using mobile and more than 860 million have started accessing mobile internet services.

The introduction of 5G services is also expected to enable new technologies and innovation around AI, IoT and big data that will further accelerate goals such as greater inclusion and equality across both developed and developing countries.

The study reports that in 2018:

–    Two-thirds of the global population (5.1 billion) are mobile subscribers, and almost half (3.5 billion) are using mobile internet services.

–    The mobile industry contributed $3.9 trillion (4.6%) to global GDP, driven by direct impact and increased productivity across other sectors.

–   Almost 2 billion subscribers use their mobile phone to purchase goods and services (+160 million compared to 2017).

–   1.3 billion subscribers access mobile health services (+230 million compared to 2017).

–  1.4 billion subscribers use mobile to improve their education or that of their children (+140 million compared to 2017).

– Mobile money has helped reduce the financial exclusion gap in low- and middle-income countries, with 866 million registered mobile money accounts at the end of 2018 (+20% compared to 2017).

– 140 million additional people in rural areas connected to the mobile internet for the first time.

– 80% of adult women in low- and middle-income countries now own a mobile phone, which can help them feel safer and more connected – an increase of 250 million over the past five years.

Measuring Mobile’s Impact

The GSMA’s Mobile Industry Impact Report uses a proprietary methodology to assign an ‘impact score’ to measure the industry’s contribution to each of the 17 Goals. Applying this method, the result of the study shows the industry’s most significant impact continues to be on SDG #9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure).

This progress is a result of mobile broadband being built out to cover 90 per cent of the world’s population and connecting more than 5 billion people worldwide. According to the scores, significant progress is reported in 2018 on SDG #4: Quality Education and SDG #6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

The study also highlights the mobile industry’s role in addressing environmental and climate change challenges (SDG #13, Climate Action). This progress is a result of providing the connectivity for digital solutions that reduce energy use, reduce travel and transport, or otherwise reduce GHG emissions. The industry itself is also collaborating on a GSMA-led initiative around climate impact disclosures and emissions target setting1.

Working Towards a #BetterFuture

As part of its #BetterFuture campaign and commitment to the SDGs, the GSMA is working closely with the industry, policymakers, and the international development community to help connect the unconnected. By doing so, new opportunities to leverage and scale mobile-enabled solutions improve people’s quality of life.

This work is being achieved through several ongoing GSMA programmes and initiatives, including Mobile for Development, which identifies opportunities and delivers innovations with socio-economic impact in financial services, health, agriculture, digital identity, energy, water, sanitation, disaster resilience and gender equality; Big Data for Social Good; and We Care.

The 2019 edition of the Mobile Industry Impact Report, is authored by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA. The report provides summaries on mobile’s impact on all 17 SDGs and showcases innovative case studies of operator initiatives that support the Goals.