Publication of the Third Mobile Industry Impact Report
Rise in all 17 Sustainable Development Goals indicators
According to a new study by GSMA, the global mobile industry is demonstrating a significant and measurable impact on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is strengthening efforts to improve lives around the world.

The 2018 GSMA annual 'Mobile Industry Impact' report, released in conjunction with the UN General Assembly held on September 26, stated that since mobile became the world's first industry to pledge to implement the SDGs in 2016, its contribution to all 17 goals has been continuously increasing. The increased influence reflects the unprecedented global scale of the mobile industry, providing platforms to connect disconnected communities, reducing poverty, improving access to healthcare and education, and driving sustainable economic development.

Mats Granryd, Director General of GSMA, said, “More than two-thirds of everyone on Earth is currently connected to mobile networks, and for many, mobile is the primary, and sometimes the only, means of accessing the internet and life-improving services. This report once again demonstrates the pivotal role the mobile industry is playing in accelerating the implementation of the SDGs and leveraging the strengths of mobile networks and services to transform the lives of people around the world.”


Mobile Impact and Execution
The Mobile Industry Impact Report applied an 'Impact Score' using a proprietary methodology to measure the industry's contribution to each of the 17 objectives. Since 2015, scores have been improving every year across all sectors as mobile operators worldwide increasingly incorporate SDGs into their core values, strategies, policies, and services, and translate industry commitments to SDGs into practical plans, leading to measurable results.

According to the report, the area where the mobile industry is currently having the greatest impact is SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), which is the result of the scope of global mobile networks leading new business models such as the sharing economy, mobile accounts and credit, and prepaid solar power models for access to clean energy.

In addition, since 2015, the mobile industry has achieved a significant increase in influence on SDG 13 (movements toward environmental protection), SDG 11 (stable cities and communities), and SDG 3 (healthy and good quality of life). The major factor that recorded a high impact in these three goals is related to the use of mobile phones and networks to provide essential humanitarian assistance during epidemics, natural disasters, or climate-related disasters.


Various cases
Currently, more than 5 billion people, or about two-thirds (66%) of the world's population, are connected to mobile networks, an increase from 4.6 billion at the end of 2015, which means that an additional 400 million new mobile subscribers were added during this period.

About 600 million people, the majority from low- and middle-income countries, started using mobile internet services after 2015, and the total number of users was 3.3 billion as of the end of 2017. It is projected that by the end of 2020, half of the world's population will have access to the internet via their phones, up from 36% in 2015.

Since 2015, more than 250 million people have started using mobile currency, making it possible to provide various financial services to people who would otherwise be excluded from the banking system, and as a result, the number of mobile currency accounts reached 700 million by the end of 2017.

There are currently over 750,000 education-related apps available on smartphones, a 62% increase from 2015. Currently, 1.2 billion people are using mobile devices to improve their own or their children's educational levels, and the gender gap in access to education is also being narrowed.

In 2017, signatories to the GSMA Humanitarian Connectivity Charter provided essential humanitarian assistance to more than 30 million people affected by epidemics and natural disasters, including Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and floods in Nepal.

Since 2015, more than 1 million households have installed residential solar power systems using a mobile-based prepaid model and are using clean and affordable electricity.

Since 2015, more than 5 million people have started using mobile-based agricultural services supported by the GSMA’s mNutrition Initiative, enabling farmers to access important information needed to improve agricultural productivity and income.

Granryd stated, “While the target date of 2030 to meet all SDGs still seems far off, it is important for stakeholders, including governments, the mobile industry, and related sectors, to take collaborative and significant action to accelerate progress.” He added, “We will continue to develop initiatives to connect the unconnected and drive the adoption of mobile internet, while mobile-based "We must expand our products and services to provide practical solutions to sectors facing development difficulties," he said.

The 2018 Mobile Industry Impact Report was compiled by GSMA Intelligence, a research arm of the GSMA. The report summarizes the impact of mobile on the 17 SDGs and provides in-depth analysis of five selected SDGs, showcasing innovative examples of industry initiatives supporting the goals.