Mobile technologies and services generated $6 trillion in economic value in 2025, 6.4% of global GDP, and the GSMA expects that figure to reach $11.3 trillion by 2030. The association's board, meeting in New Delhi, has set out the industry's connectivity priorities on that basis: device affordability, online fraud, network investment and international cooperation on future 6G standards.

The board's headline problem is the usage gap. Although 97% of the world's population has mobile broadband coverage, 3.4 billion people still do not use mobile internet. Device cost remains the barrier. A basic internet-enabled handset costs the equivalent of 44% of average monthly income for the poorest 20% of the population in low- and middle-income countries.

The GSMA proposed concrete remedies:

• device financing plans;
• targeted tax reductions;
• closer cooperation between handset makers and memory suppliers.

What does the gap mean for operators?

It caps growth. Director General Vivek Badrinath said the industry's next priority must be converting 5G expansion into real value and ensuring more people can participate in the digital economy. "This will require sustained investment, favourable policies and collaboration across the ecosystem," he said.

The investment case is already large. The GSMA estimates operators will spend $1.2 trillion in capital expenditure between 2025 and 2030 to expand and modernise networks. It expects 57% of mobile connections to run on 5G by the end of the decade.

AI fraud framed as a shared threat

The board flagged scams and fraud as a growing threat to consumers, public trust and government objectives. It acknowledged that the mobile sector continues to strengthen network-based detection tools and cyber-defences, but warned that "no single sector can tackle the threat alone".

AI-generated content and deepfakes increase the risk. The GSMA urged the industry to "join forces to counter scams with practical solutions", positioning fraud defence as a cross-sector task rather than an operator-only burden.

6G spectrum position reaffirmed

On the next technology generation, the association reiterated support for global standards and radio spectrum harmonisation as 6G development advances. The regulatory context matters here: countries representing more than 80% of the world's population back mobile use of the upper 6 GHz band, which could provide the channel bandwidths of 200 MHz to 400 MHz that 6G is expected to require.

GSMA Chairman Gopal Vittal framed the standards argument in commercial terms. "By working with global standards and collaborating across markets, we can accelerate innovation and strengthen trust and resilience," he said, as the sector develops the next generation of connectivity.

The board's positions carry weight because the GSMA represents the global operator community in standards and spectrum negotiations. Its backing for upper 6 GHz mobile allocation sets the line operators will take into the International Telecommunication Union's spectrum discussions ahead of 6G standardisation.

The New Delhi conclusions also press governments on supporting policies for network investment, pairing the industry's $1.2 trillion capex commitment with demands for regulatory conditions that accelerate connectivity growth through the 5G-to-6G transition.