Telecom
GSMA Publishes Report Detailing the Mobile Industry’s Impact in Achieving SDGs
At yesterday’s United Nations Private Sector Forum, the GSMA unveiled the ‘2016 Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals’, a ground-breaking study that provides a current assessment of the mobile industry’s impact in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and outlines future actions that will expand and strengthen that impact.
The GSMA also announced several industry commitments, including actions to elevate the focus on humanitarian assistance, as well as a partnership with the UN to drive ongoing engagement around the SDGs across the mobile industry and adjacent sectors.
“This first-of-its-kind report offers critical insights into the transformative impact of the mobile industry on individuals, societies and economies around the world, in developed and developing markets,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA.
“Importantly, it establishes a benchmark through which we will assess our industry’s progress in contributing to the SDGs by 2030 and serves as a blueprint for other industries as they commit to achieving the Goals.”
The report, which was developed by Deloitte for the GSMA, is designed to facilitate progress reporting by creating a common, measureable system that links the industry’s activities to their impact on the SDGs and will serve as an input into industry decisions on strategy, planning and investment.
The report will enable the mobile industry to engage more effectively with partners based on impact on the SDGs, and it creates a framework that can be shared with others in the mobile communications ecosystem, as well as with other industries. T
he Mobile Industry Impact Report forms a baseline to measure the industry’s progress against the SDGs; updates will be published on a yearly basis.
Mobile Industry Impact on the SDGs
The report finds that the mobile industry impacts all 17 Goals to varying degrees, with the greatest effect being felt on SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Collectively connecting nearly 4.8 billion people globally, mobile operators and players across the ecosystem are already delivering a vast range of programmes and initiatives that contribute to achieving the SDGs, such as:
SDG 1 (No Poverty) –Today, more than 400 million people have access to financial services via their phone, with mobile money services available in over 90 countries. The mobile industry is committed to continue to develop new mobile money products, such as international remittances, for developing world consumers who need them most.
SDG 5 (Gender Equality) – The mobile industry is focused on increasing women’s access to and use of mobile services in low- and middle-income countries around the world. Since its launch in February, 18 operators representing over 90 million customers have joined the Connected Women Commitment Initiative to close the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services.
SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) – The mobile industry is a major contributor to the world’s economy. The mobile ecosystem added $3.1 trillion in economic value to the global economy in 2015, equivalent to 4.2 per cent of GDP, a figure predicted to rise to $3.7 trillion by 2020. The industry also directly and indirectly supported 32 million jobs in 2015 and contributed $430 billion to public funding in the form of various types of taxation.
SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) – The mobile industry is committed to leveraging technology and expertise to ensure that communication is possible in disasters and humanitarian crises. Endorsed by the United Nations OCHA, the GSMA’s Humanitarian Connectivity Charter now has 103 mobile network operators across 76 countries, committed to ensuring network resilience and supporting subscribers during times of crisis.
Accelerating Progress to 2030
The study identified three primary ways that the mobile industry can accelerate progress against the SDGs: expand the global mobile network footprint and connect subscribers to voice and data services; enhance the quality of connectivity and ease of access and innovate mobile-enabled services to meet sustainable development needs; and contribute to sustainable development policy alongside governments and agencies.
Further, the GSMA also announced several commitments that will align the mobile industry even more closely with the United Nations, governments, development organisations and other industry sectors to address the ambitious agenda set out by the Sustainable Development Goals. These commitments include:
Partnering with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser to create a road map for ongoing engagement in the SDGs, identifying the most critical areas for mobile industry action;
Elevating the mobile industry’s focus on humanitarian assistance – an area requiring immediate intervention – with emphasis on expanding the adoption of the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter;
Implementing a programme, in cooperation with the UN Global Compact, to advocate sustainability principles and support mobile operators in advancing sustainability reporting linked to the SDGs; and
Utilising the mobile industry’s reach and convening power to encourage further commitment to the SDGs by mobile operators, other industry sectors, and individual citizens.
“As an industry, we are focused on connecting everyone and everything to a better future,” continued Granryd. “In February, the mobile industry was the first to unite in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and this report reiterates our commitment to ensuring that connectivity plays a key role in helping achieve the 17 Goals by 2030.”
The ‘2016 Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals’ is available at http://www.gsma.com/2016SDGImpactReport.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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