The GSMA's eighth SDG impact report, published at the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda, spotlights the mobile industry's impact and recommends action points to help realise the UN Goals
16 September 2023, New York: 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.
The GSMA's eighth annual SDG impact report evaluates the mobile industry's progress against each Goal and identifies areas where it needs to improve or accelerate actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Now at the halfway point, the UN SDGs were adopted in 2015 as a universal call-to-action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
Tracking SDG impact at the halfway point
The report found that since 2015, the mobile industry has increased its impact on each of the 17 SDGs. Mobile technology provides billions of people with their primary means of access to the internet and a multitude of life-enhancing services across education, healthcare and finance. The industry also serves as the linchpin of the digital economy and a catalyst for transformation across different sectors.
Key findings on the mobile industry's SDG impact include:
In 2022, the average SDG impact score[1] across the 17 Goals was 53, meaning the industry has achieved 53% of its potential contribution to the SDGs - up from 33% in 2015.
The mobile industry achieved its highest impact on SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, driven by the unique reach of mobile coverage worldwide. Since 2015, the population living in areas without mobile coverage dropped from 1.8 billion to 400 million at the end of 2022.
Since 2015, almost 2 billion people have gained access to the internet through a mobile device, with some 4.5 billion people - or 57% of the world's population - connected by the end of 2022.
Progress has been made to reduce disparities in mobile internet adoption between different user segments, supporting the industry's contribution to SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities. In particular, mobile internet usage has risen by 47% among the world's poorest 40%, representing an increase of 710 million since 2015 to 1.5 billion people in 2022; what's more, 61% of women in low- and middle-income countries are now using mobile internet, representing an increase of 470 million since 2017 to 1.4 billion people in 2022.
The mobile industry achieved its highest level of improvement in SDG 4: Quality Education with 2.3 billion people (42% of mobile subscribers) using mobile to access educational information for themselves or their children, an increase of 1.6 billion individuals since 2015.
6 billion people (49% of mobile subscribers) used mobile financial services in 2022, an increase of 1.6 billion since 2015. The use of mobile banking and payments help individuals to better manage their finances and create employment opportunities, contributing to SDG 1: No Poverty and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Realising the untapped potential of mobile
While the industry has tracked promising performance against each Goal since 2015, the global cost-of-living crisis, conflicts, Covid-19 pandemic and rise in climate-related emergencies have impeded the efforts of every sector to achieve the 2030 Agenda. As a result, the report warns that the industry will only reach 76% of its full potential impact on the 17 SDGs by 2030, based on its current trajectory.
Looking ahead to 2030, mobile operators must collaborate with governments, regulators and the international community, to increase the pace and scale of the sector's contribution and release its untapped potential.
Actions that will contribute to increase the industry's SDG impact include: reforming policy to support sustainable levels of investment in mobile broadband infrastructure; leveraging the role of the international community, UN agencies, and multilateral development banks to prioritise investment in digital development; driving use of mobile solutions by all segments of the population and enterprises; and consistently tapping into mobile-enabled innovation to address societal challenges.
Jos Mar a lvarez-Pallete L pez, CEO of Telef nica and Chairman of the GSMA said: Mobile technology has become the primary means of internet access for billions of people, especially in LMICs, enabling access to critical information, services, education, healthcare, and income-generating opportunities. However, despite these achievements, more must be done to enhance mobile's contribution to the SDGs. The mobile industry must collaborate closely with stakeholders, including public administrations, other
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
The GSMA's eighth SDG impact report, published at the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda, spotlights the mobile industry's impact and recommends action points to help realise the UN Goals
