GSMA Report Finds African Operators Shifting From Connectivity to Digital Transformation Partners

According to the GSMA’s Mobile Economy Africa 2026 report, the sector is entering a new phase of development, with operators shifting their focus from expanding connectivity to unlocking greater value through digital networks. This evolution is expected to drive economic growth, innovation and digital transformation across Africa in the years ahead.

Across the continent, operators are evolving beyond their traditional role as connectivity providers to become digital transformation partners, deploying artificial intelligence (AI), expanding digital services and opening network capabilities to developers through standardised APIs. According to GSMA Intelligence research, 79% of operators in Africa identify becoming a digital transformation partner as a primary enterprise objective.

By 2030, mobile technologies and services are expected to contribute $290bn to Africa’s economy as digital adoption deepens and connectivity continues to support productivity, innovation and economic development across the region. Today Africa’s digital challenge has shifted from expanding network coverage to ensuring people, businesses and governments can fully benefit from the connectivity already in place.

Vivek Badrinath, director general of the GSMA, said: "Africa's mobile industry is entering a new phase of development. Having connected millions of people and businesses over the last decade, the focus is increasingly shifting towards unlocking greater value through AI, digital services and new forms of innovation.

"Realising this opportunity will require continued investment, policies that encourage innovation, and a shared commitment to ensuring that everyone can benefit from the opportunities digital technologies create.

"We also call on the broader technology supply chain – including those who manufacture the components that make devices possible – to reflect on how their own success is tied to a connected world, and to join us in closing the usage gap and making that world more accessible and affordable for all."

Beyond connectivity alone

Across the continent, operators are increasingly deploying AI to improve network performance, strengthen customer experiences and support new digital services. However, Africa is home to more than 30% of the world’s languages, while today’s leading AI models remain predominantly trained on English and other high-resource languages.

Through initiatives such as the GSMA's “AI language models in Africa, by Africa, for Africa” programme, industry stakeholders are working to strengthen the data, compute, talent and policy foundations needed for African-led AI development.

The report also highlights growing momentum behind GSMA Open Gateway, which enables operators to provide standardised network APIs to developers and enterprises. These capabilities are helping to unlock new digital services while supporting fraud prevention, identity verification, and digital trust across sectors including financial services, e-commerce, and digital government.

Policy choices will play a critical role in determining whether Africa can fully capture this next wave of digital growth. Investment incentives, spectrum availability, affordability measures and regulatory certainty will all influence the pace of innovation, digital adoption and infrastructure deployment across the continent.

Despite this progress, the report warns that Africa’s greatest digital challenge is no longer network coverage but adoption. While mobile broadband networks now cover the vast majority of the population, approximately 63% of Africans live within coverage but are not using mobile internet. By comparison, only 9% remain outside mobile broadband coverage.

Investing for growth

Affordability remains the single largest barrier to mobile internet adoption across much of the continent, alongside digital skills gaps and other social barriers. The report highlights the importance of initiatives aimed at improving device affordability, expanding digital skills, and fostering a more inclusive digital ecosystem.

To support the next phase of digital growth, the GSMA is calling for policies that encourage investment, improve affordability and accelerate digital adoption. Mobile operators across Africa are expected to invest over $76bn in network infrastructure between 2024 and 2030. Evidence from several African markets also demonstrates that reducing taxes on devices and digital services can help accelerate adoption and expand access to the benefits of the digital economy.

Key findings from the Mobile Economy Africa 2026 report:

• Mobile technologies and services contributed $240bn to Africa’s economy in 2025, equivalent to 7.8% of GDP.
• Mobile’s economic contribution is forecast to reach $290bn by 2030.
• The mobile ecosystem supported approximately 13m jobs in 2025.
• The sector generated $45bn in public revenues.
• Mobile operators are expected to invest over $76bn in network infrastructure between 2024 and 2030.
• Approximately 63% of Africans live within mobile broadband coverage but are not using mobile internet, compared with a coverage gap of 9%.
• 5G adoption is expected to reach 21% of total mobile connections by 2030.