GSMA Board Re-Elects Chair and Elects New Deputy Chair

Orange's St phane Richard Continues as GSMA Board Chair;

Verizon's Rima Qureshi Elected Deputy Chair;

Both to Serve from January 2021 through December 2022

23 November 2020, London: The GSMA Board has re-elected the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange Group, St phane Richard, as GSMA Board Chair. The Board has elected the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Verizon, Rima Qureshi, as Board Deputy Chair. Both appointments are for the two years from January 2021 through December 2022.

As GSMA Chair, Mr Richard will continue to oversee the strategic direction of the GSMA, with the support of Ms Qureshi, as Deputy Chair. The GSMA Board comprises the world's largest operator groups and smaller independent operators with global reach.

It is a privilege and an honour to continue to serve as Chair of the GSM Association, representing a mobile industry that contributes $4.1 trillion to global GDP. 2020 proved what the mobile ecosystem has known for decades: the true relevance of robust and resilient mobile networks. Mobile connectivity has shown its ability to support our lives and the economy. It is humbling and inspiring to see the whole world lean on the mobile industry like never before, said Orange Group's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and GSMA Board Chair, St phane Richard. Yet 3.4 billion people can't afford mobile services or don't know how to use them. To help close this digital divide, we must increase our efforts to reduce digital inequalities with more affordable smartphones and data plans, as well as training and better network infrastructure in rural areas.

Thanks to my colleagues across the Board for the opportunity to serve as Deputy Chair to the GSMA. As we look to the future, equal access to network technology is essential for universal growth and vitality, said Verizon's Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer and GSMA Board Deputy Chair, Rima Qureshi. Our sector is central to providing the mobility, broadband and cloud technology services to individuals and companies as they work to become more resilient. I'm excited to work with the GSMA to help ensure we realize the full potential of things like 5G technology to level the playing field and thrive as a global community.

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile industry. Our efforts are dedicated across three areas: industry knowledge, technological advancements and human progress. We do this by bringing people together, sharing trusted expertise and curating marketplaces for buyers and sellers.

We predict that intelligent connectivity will come with 5G, the next generation of transformative technology. It will open the door to digitisation across all industries. According to GSMA Intelligence, the world's mobile operators will invest a forecasted $1.1 trillion worldwide between now and 2025, and that roughly 80% will be in 5G networks.

GSMA Board Members for the 2021-2022 Term

Earlier this week, we announced the new GSMA Board for 2021 2022. Members include senior representatives from global mobile operators. For further information, please click here.

About the GSMA

We produce the annual MWC events in Barcelona, Shanghai, Los Angeles and, for the first time in 2021, MWC Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. Our global set of regional convening events also includes the M360 series. This year, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we launched our GSMA Thrive series of virtual events. Our media service, Mobile World Live, provides broadcast and industry news information to more than 160,000 subscribers.

For more than 30 years, GSMA Working Groups have gathered the industry to solve practical problems. This technology work supports the whole mobile ecosystem by creating frameworks, standards and cross-industry solutions. Areas of focus include roaming, fraud, security, 5G, IoT and collaboration with adjacent sectors.

Our advocacy work brings together the public and private sector to tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. For example, expanding digital inclusion and literacy; improving access to spectrum; modernising regulation; protecting privacy; aligning the industry on climate action. By harnessing mobile services with our Mobile for Development work, we are proud to have improved the lives of 93 million people. And, we report annually on the mobile industry's progress against the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We're helping mobile operators capture new revenue and generate cost savings with our industry services that address key challenges. These services include GSMA Intelligence, the definitive source of global mobile operator data, analysis and forecasts. Research topics include 5G, IoT, media convergence and mobile trends.

-ENDS-

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators and nearly 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

For more information contact the GSMA Press Office, pressoffice@gsma.com

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