Mobile Industry Pledges Over $9 Billion to Universal Connectivity

As more than 2.6 billion people remain offline globally, ITU said closing the global digital divide gaps has become more vital and, as such called for universal meaningful connectivity.

Responding to the call, the ​​ITU Secretary- General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin has announced over $9 billion in investment commitments from mobile operator groups to extend global connectivity.

The announcement, made at Mobile World Congress (MWC), builds on the mobile industry’s strong support to ITU’s efforts to connect the world.

The new industry commitments raise to over $46 billion the total current value of planned investment in infrastructure, services and support to ITU’s Partner2Connect Digital Coalition since the platform opened in March 2022.

“Universal meaningful connectivity is within our grasp,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Thanks to these new commitments, millions of people will benefit from accessible and affordable connectivity across the world.”

The commitments announced at Mobile World Congress include:

e&: USD 6 billion between 2024 and 2026 for accessible and affordable network connectivity and digital services across countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

China Telecom: Over USD 1.4 billion to rollout fibre-to-the-home (FTTH)​, providing high-quality information and communication services to over 80 million people in remote administrative villages across China.

Ooredoo: USD 1.1 billion for connectivity in the developing markets ranging from North Africa to the Indian Ocean.

VEON: USD 600 million in building the infrastructure of Ukrai​ne, providing connectivity and digital services essential to the reconstruction of the country.

Speaking on this, the Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, John Giusti applauded the ITU Secretary-General’s focus on the importance of infrastructure investment to enable the digital economy.”

According to him, “Mobile operators continuously invest in deploying and upgrading their networks, delivering benefits to citizens in all corners of the globe. I congratulate e&, China Telecom, Ooredoo and VEON on their investment pledges. I am encouraged that MWC is the event of choice for such commitments and for collaboration between the public and private sectors.”

As telecommunications infrastructure forms the backbone of connectivity and digital transformation, it is vital for closing that global digital divide and overcoming development impediments in areas from education and health to government services and trade.

ITU has called for USD 100 billion in overall investments by 2026 to provide the expertise and resources required to extend universal, meaningful connectivity and sustainable digital transformation to every corner of the globe.

In addition to infrastructure, Partner2Connect commitments can support other critical needs including building digital skills and increasing digital inclusion. The new commitments from e&, China Telecom, Ooredoo and VEON are expected to be implemented over the next 2-5 years.