Leading the Way into a Better Future

By Mats Granryd

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the true importance of robust and resilient mobile networks, to support society and industry. Over time and with both determination and conscience, the mobile industry has invested in the infrastructure and the networks that have allowed the world to rely on connectivity this year like never before.

The mobile industry has never been so important to the world’s citizens and economy, and its relevance will continue to grow. By the end of 2019, 5.2 billion people subscribed to mobile services, accounting for 67% of the global population, out of which 3.8 billion are mobile internet users. By 2025 an additional 1.2 billion people will start using mobile internet for the first time which will bring the total number of mobile internet subscribers globally to 5 billion (over 60% of the population)(i).

Our role at the GSMA is to unlock the power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Back in 2016, mobile became the world’s first industry to commit to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the importance of proactive multi-stakeholder collaboration continues. Collaboration is crucial for success in the digital transformation of society, and the mobile industry has a demonstrable track record of effective collaboration that has delivered…