• Africa faces a number of ongoing technology and communications sector challenges
• One is the cost of smartphones, which act as the main digital lifeline for Africans
• Another is the lack of AI developments suitable for the continent’s local languages
• The GSMA is working with telecom and tech sector partners to overcome these hurdles

Global industry body the GSMA has brought together multiple members of the technology and communications ecosystem to tackle some of the major digital divide challenges currently facing many African nations, in particular issues related to the availability of affordable mobile devices and local language AI systems.  

One of the GSMA’s most important roles is to unify the global mobile ecosystem and “unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive”. In a further step towards reaching that ultimate goal, the GSMA has just announced a new  cross-industry initiative to increase digital inclusion by lowering the main barrier that prevents more people in Africa from buying and owning a smartphone – the sheer cost of the devices. 

To that end, the organisation is collaborating with six of the largest mobile operators in Africa – Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange and Vodacom (part of the Vodafone empire) – to agree on a minimum set of “baseline” requirements (related to memory, RAM, camera quality, display size and battery performance) for “an affordable entry-level 4G smartphone”. 

The initiative is part of the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, the purpose of which is to reduce the cost of smartphone ownership for the millions of people across Africa who remain unconnected. 

Smartphone affordability is the single largest barrier to mobile internet adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. The GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 Report shows that, even today, and after many years of attempts to bridge the digital divide, more than 3 billion people around the world live in areas with mobile broadband coverage but do not use the internet because of the extremely high cost of smartphone handsets. The GSMA’s Intelligence Unit calculates that a $40 smartphone would enable an additional 20 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to routinely use the mobile internet, while a $30 handset could lift the number of extra connections to 50 million. 

“Access to a smartphone is not a luxury – it is a lifeline to essential services, income opportunities and participation in the digital economy,” noted the GSMA’s director general, Vivek Badrinath. “By uniting around a shared vision for affordable 4G devices, Africa’s leading operators and the GSMA are sending a powerful signal to manufacturers and policymakers. This is an important step towards bridging the digital divide and ensuring that millions more people can reap the benefits of mobile connectivity.” 

Thus, in the coming months, the GSMA will be on a drive to convince original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to consult with service providers and other interested parties to help determine the minimum requirements for affordable smartphones. 

Simultaneously, it will lobby governments across Africa to refrain from levying taxes on entry-level smartphones priced below $100. At the moment, in many African markets, various baroque taxes, and taxes on taxes, can add more than a third to the base cost of a smartphone device.

AI for the African masses?

In a separate initiative, the GSMA has teamed up with multiple partners – again including mobile operators Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange and Vodacom, but also tech and telco giant Cassava Technologies and regional AI companies such as Lelapa AI (developer of Africa’s first local language large language model) and Pawa AI – to “strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem by developing inclusive African AI language models”. 

Currently, the world’s leading large language models (LLMs) are “built around a handful of global languages, limiting access and relevance for billions of people whose linguistic and cultural diversity remains underrepresented online,” stated the GSMA in this announcement. “In Africa alone, more than 2,000 languages are spoken, yet only a fraction are supported in digital systems or AI models. This lack of inclusion risks widening existing digital and economic divides,” it proclaimed. 

According to the GSMA, the initiative “seeks to close the region’s language gap in artificial intelligence, ensuring that Africa’s voices, cultures and knowledge are fully represented in the global digital future.” The industry body “recognises existing efforts that have made great strides in addressing AI adoption in Africa, however, foundational challenges remain and [the GSMA] is calling on ecosystem partners to join collectively to align efforts and further accelerate AI adoption in Africa.”

The collaborating companies and organisations will establish “dedicated working groups to drive measurable progress across data, compute, talent and policy. Partners have [also] committed to regularly showcasing outcomes and sharing learnings at upcoming GSMA events, ensuring accountability and sustained momentum toward Africa’s inclusive AI future,” noted the industry group. 

The GSMA concluded: “By taking an integrated, problem-solving approach, the GSMA and its members are collaborating with Africa’s AI ecosystem to unlock opportunities across data, compute, talent and markets. This collective effort will drive innovation and empower local industries, strengthening digital sovereignty and accelerating the scaling of AI across the continent today. Ecosystem partners – including startups, academia, creative industries, civil society, donors and global technology players – are invited to join and contribute to this shared ambition.”

– Martyn Warwick, Editor in Chief, TelecomTV