The Mobile

Economy
Europe 2025
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile
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Contents
Executive summary 2

1. The mobile industry in numbers 9

2. Mobile industry trends 20

2.1 5G benchmarking: assessing five years of 5G 21

2.2 5G’s next wave: focus shifts to 5G-Advanced and 5G RedCap 27

2.3 Open Gateway: capturing the opportunities ahead 30

2.4 Generative AI: driving transformation and building partnerships 32

2.5 Satellites and NTNs: momentum builds behind aerial connectivity 34

3. Mobile industry impact 36

3.1 The mobile industry’s impact on the SDGs 37

3.2 Supporting growing mobile internet use among children 40

4. Mobile industry enablers 41

4.1 Boosting Europe’s global competitiveness 42

Executive
summary
Sustaining global competitiveness
Digital infrastructure has been at the heart of Consequently, Europe is at a crossroads in the
social and economic progress in Europe for the development of crucial digital infrastructure,
better part of the last three decades. Today, with key network-performance and consumer-
nearly half a billion people across Europe are adoption metrics showing that it is falling behind
connected to the mobile internet, predominantly some of its global peers. This underlines the need
through high-speed 4G and 5G networks. Mobile for urgent action by the European Commission
technologies and services now generate around and other authorities to implement critical policy
5% of GDP across Europe, a contribution that reforms to ensure that Europe’s digital economy
amounts to almost €1.1 trillion of economic value – underpinned by strong, sustained network
added. 5G, in particular, is expected to benefit innovation – can re-establish a leadership
most sectors of the European economy, adding position in the global tech race by 2030.
around €164 billion of economic value by 2030.
However, achieving further growth beyond this
will be challenging within the constraints of the
current regulatory environment.

Executive summary 2 / 46
Key trends shaping
the mobile ecosystem

The focus shifts to 5G standalone

and 5G-Advanced
By the end of 2024, 5G accounted for 30% of
mobile connections in Europe, equivalent to
over 200 million connections. However, 5G
has not yet materially altered mobile revenue
growth, which remains low in most European
markets. Shifting investment to more advanced
forms of 5G, particularly 5G networks based
on the standalone (SA) architecture, as well
as 5G-Advanced, will be important to unlock
new use cases and monetisation opportunities.
However, this investment will not occur
automatically, and issues that limit the mobile
sector's capacity to invest will need to be
addressed first.

GSMA Open Gateway gains traction

As of December 2024, 67 operator groups had
signed up to the GSMA Open Gateway initiative,
accounting for 75% of mobile connections
globally. The geographic breakdown of operator
commitments indicates regions at par, above or
below their established market share. Europe
is a leading region, with committed operators
representing more than 20% of GSMA Open
Gateway commitments despite accounting for
around only 10% of mobile connections. Many
of the early API launches in the region have
focused on fraud prevention and security, using
SIM Swap and Number Verification APIs. These
represent easy wins, given the ever-present risks
from fraudsters and breaches for operators and
their customers.

By the end of 2024, 5G

accounted for 30% of
mobile connections in
Europe, equivalent to over
200 million connections

Executive summary 3 / 46
Driving AI transformation responsibly Momentum builds behind aerial
European operators are leading the way in connectivity
generative AI (genAI) adoption, with a strong Terrestrial networks remain the primary form
emphasis on network optimisation, security and of connectivity, supported by the wide area
enhanced customer service. Mobile operators are coverage of wireless networks and the mass
catalysing genAI innovation through strategic production and adoption of mobile devices. In
partnerships, exemplified by Telefónica's recent years, however, technological advances
collaborations with technology partners, as well in various satellite and other non-terrestrial
as Deutsche Telekom's development of telecoms- networks (NTNs) have helped to overcome
specific large language models (LLMs) with the several limitations associated with aerial
Global Telco AI Alliance. To foster responsible connectivity. Recent developments suggest that
AI, operators are prioritising ethical AI practices European authorities are taking steps to keep
to ensure fairness, protect users and reduce up with their global peers in the development
inequalities. The EU’s AI Act sets regulatory and application of satellite connectivity, as
standards for responsible AI, while the GSMA's a complement to terrestrial-based mobile
Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap offers a connectivity services. Recent examples include
framework for ethical AI use. the award of a contract to the SpaceRISE
consortium to develop, deploy and operate the
IRIS2 constellation, as well as the emergence
of new players across the European satellite
ecosystem.

Executive summary 4 / 46
Policies for success
Addressing Europe’s digital infrastructure needs • Take a more long-term view on investment and
is an important first step towards resetting the innovation effects. The Commission needs to
regulatory framework for telecommunications initiate a review of the EU Merger Regulation,
and re-energising the European telecoms sector which has not been reviewed for 20 years, in
as an engine of competitiveness and prosperity. order to put more emphasis on the long-term
The benefits of increased investments in digital investment viewpoint.
infrastructure will not only be felt across the
• Establish a pro-investment approach to EU
telecoms and technology sectors but across every
spectrum policy, including the adoption of
other industry as well. Achieving this requires a
best practices to achieve a more predictable
bold new approach to realising the Commission’s
and harmonised approach to spectrum auction
digital single market ambitions, underpinned by
designs, licensing costs, the prolongation of
the following practical measures:
licences and the identification of future bands.
• Re-evaluate the existing regulatory framework
• Apply circular economy principles to network
that was conceived 20–30 years ago, and update
equipment and incorporate the EU taxonomy for
the policy objectives and principles to match
green investment in electronic communication
today’s market realities and challenges.
networks, based on robust metrics.
• Implement additional measures to ensure
fairness in the internet value chain by defining
an obligation on content and application
The benefits of increased
providers (CAPs) to negotiate with internet investments in digital
service providers (ISPs) on the terms and infrastructure will not only be
conditions for IP data transport services, thereby
making the negotiating parties subject to a felt across the telecoms and
dispute resolution process in the event that an technology sectors but across
agreement cannot be reached.
every other industry as well

Executive summary 5 / 46
The Mobile Economy Europe

Unique Mobile
mobile internet
subscribers users

2024
520m
88% penetration rate*
2024
471m
79% penetration rate*

2030
527m
89% penetration rate*
2030
494m
84% penetration rate*

CAGR
2024-2030 0.2% CAGR
2024-2030 0.8%
*Percentage of population *Percentage of population

SIM 4G Percentage of connections

(excluding licensed cellular IoT)

connections
(excluding licensed cellular IoT)

795m
2024
63%
18%
2024
2030
134% penetration rate*

2030
816m 5G Percentage of connections
(excluding licensed cellular IoT)

30%
138% penetration rate*
2024

0.4%
80%
CAGR
2024-2030
2030
*Percentage of population
Smartphones Licensed
Percentage of connections
cellular
IoT connections
2024
83%
2030
91% 2024
322m
Operator
revenues and
2030
545m
investment
Mobile
ecosystem
2024
€163bn
Total revenues
contribution
to GDP
2030
€177bn
Total revenues
2023
€1.1tn
5.0% of GDP

€175bn
€1.2tn
Operator capex
for the period
2024–2030: 2030

Public Employment
funding
2023
2023
1.9m jobs
€120bn Directly supported by the
mobile ecosystem

Mobile ecosystem contribution to

public funding (before regulatory
Plus 1.4m
and spectrum fees) indirect jobs
Subscriber and technology trends for
key markets
France Technology mix* Subscriber penetration

1+5+6430K 10+90+K
2024
1% 5% 10%
86%
30% 90% 2030
88%
2024 2030 Smartphone adoption
2024

64%
86%
2030
2G 3G 4G 5G 94%

Germany Technology mix* Subscriber penetration

2+51+47K 6+94+K
2024
2% 6%
87%
49% 94% 2030
89%
2024 2030 Smartphone adoption
51%
2024
83%
2030
2G 3G 4G 5G 93%

Italy Technology mix* Subscriber penetration

1+1+7028K 14+86+K
2024
1% 1%
14% 89%
27% 2030
86%
90%
2024 2030 Smartphone adoption
2024
70% 80%
2030
2G 3G 4G 5G 90%

Spain Technology mix* Subscriber penetration

3+2+6728K 11+89+K
3% 2% 2024
11% 88%
28% 2030
89%
90%
2024 2030 Smartphone adoption
2024
67% 81%
2030
2G 3G 4G 5G 86%

UK Technology mix* Subscriber penetration

1+53+46K 7+93+K
2024
1% 7%
88%
2030
46% 93%
90%
2024 2030 Smartphone adoption
53%
2024
86%
2030
2G 3G 4G 5G 91%

* Percentage of total connections (excluding licensed cellular IoT)

Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Executive summary 8 / 46
01
The mobile industry
in numbers
Almost 80% of By the end of 2024, 520 million people in
Europe (88% of the population) subscribed to a

Europe’s population
mobile service. Mobile internet adoption is also
widespread, reaching 79% of the population, which

subscribe to mobile
amounts to 471 million users. This represents an
increase of more than 150 million people over the

internet services
past decade. Growth during this period was largely
driven by the expansion of mobile broadband
networks, with the coverage gap in Europe now at
1% of the population.

At 19%, the usage gap has also narrowed

considerably over the past decade. But significant
differences persist among Europe's 10 largest
markets for mobile internet subscribers. In Ukraine,
Poland and Romania, less than three quarters of
the population have subscribed to mobile internet,
compared to almost 90% in Spain.

Figure 1
Coverage gap
Europe: mobile internet connectivity in select markets, 2024 Usage gap
Percentage of population Connected

1% 1% 4%

12%
16% 17% 18% 18% 20% 19% 21%
22% 28%
35%

88%
84% 82% 82% 81% 80% 79% 79%
74% 72%
64%

Spain Italy UK Netherlands Belgium France Europe Germany Ukraine Poland Romania

Connected: Those who use mobile internet.

Usage gap: Those who live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but do not use mobile internet services.
Coverage gap: Those who live in an area not covered by a mobile broadband network.

Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 10 / 46

In 2026, 5G adoption The share of mobile connections on 4G in Europe
is beginning to wane as 5G adoption gathers

will surpass 4G
pace. Moreover, with 2G and 3G networks already
accounting for less than 10% of mobile connections

adoption in Europe
in the region, legacy networks are being phased
out. By the end of Q3 2024, there had been 44
network sunsets in Europe – accounting for around
a third of network sunsets globally.1

Europe is expected to stay at the forefront in

terms of migrating subscribers to newer network
generations, with the region expected to account
for more than half of planned network sunsets in
2025. This will give operators the opportunity to
repurpose spectrum assets for more spectrally
efficient 4G and 5G networks while also improving
energy efficiency in the network (since legacy
networks are less energy efficient).

Figure 2
Europe: mobile adoption by technology
Percentage of total connections

90%

80% 5G 80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%
4G 18%

10%
3G 2%
0% 2G 0%
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Source: GSMA Intelligence

1. Network Sunsets, Q3 2024 Global trends, regional variations and outlook, GSMA Intelligence, November 2024

The mobile industry in numbers 11 / 46

5G adoption in By the end of 2024, 5G accounted for 30% of
mobile connections in Europe, equivalent to

Europe continues to
over 200 million connections. Countries such as
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland

lag behind other

and the UK have seen the fastest uptake, with 5G
adoption rates exceeding 40% in each of these

advanced regions
markets.

However, regions such as North America, East Asia

and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states
have higher levels of 5G adoption. With the first
wave of 5G deployments based on Release 15
complete, many operators in these markets are
shifting their attention to 5G standalone (SA) and
5G-Advanced. The adoption of these technologies
in Europe will progress more slowly unless the
challenges that restrict investment capacity in the
European mobile sector are resolved.

Figure 3
2025–2030 increase
5G adoption 2024
Percentage of total connections

5G connections
(2030)

GCC states 95% 99m

South Korea 95% 67m

US 94% 412m

Japan 92% 186m

China 88% 1.76bn

EU27 80% 533m

Europe 80% 656m

Global average 56% 5.63bn

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 12 / 46

Operators must Mobile data traffic has experienced massive
growth globally over the past decade, driven

invest heavily in
by the increasing adoption of smartphones
and growing consumption of high-bandwidth

network upgrades
applications such as video streaming.

Between 2019 and 2024, average data traffic

amid rising data per mobile connection grew more than fourfold
in Europe, from 3.8 GB in 2019 to 15.3 GB in

traffic 2024. Mobile data traffic will continue to rise at a

significant rate through to the end of the decade,
reaching almost 50 GB per mobile connection per
month.

Figure 4
Mobile data traffic per mobile connection
GB per month

2024 2030 Increase

US 42 98 2.3×

China 20 69 3.5×

Italy 22 62 2.8×

Spain 17 59 3.6×

France 18 57 3.2×

UK 14 56 4×

Germany 13 55 4.4×

Europe 15 49 3.2×

Global 16 48 3×

Top five smartphone markets in Europe

Number of smartphone connections, 2030

Germany UK Italy France Ukraine

111m 83m 74m 70m 56m

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 13 / 46

Europe is expected By 2030, there will be almost 550 million licensed
cellular IoT connections in Europe. Germany

to gain another
will account for around a quarter of these, while
the UK, France, Italy and Sweden will each

200 million licensed

account for around 10%. To address the diverse
needs of IoT use cases, operators will leverage a

cellular IoT
combination of connectivity options. This will help
ensure optimised performance across different
applications.
connections by Smart utilities will be a key driver of IoT

2030 connections growth as the number of initiatives for

smart metering and smart power grids continues
to rise, aided by government-funded projects.
There also continues to be good traction for
licensed cellular IoT across Europe in other sectors,
including tracking and logistics.

Figure 5 Rest of Europe

Europe: number of licensed cellular IoT connections Sweden
Million Italy
France
UK
Germany

600
545

500

180

400

322
48
300
55
100
58
200 30
34 67
36
100 40
138
82
0
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 14 / 46

Mobile revenue 5G has not yet materially altered mobile revenue
growth, which remains in the low single digits

growth is expected
in percentage terms in most European markets.
Consequently, there is increased pressure on

to remain in the low

operators to diversify their services and generate
new revenue streams in adjacent areas. B2B

single digits
remains a focus for the industry, with the launch
of the next iteration of 5G networks an important
underpinning for growth prospects.

On the cost side, European mobile operators have

invested over €160 billion in mobile capex over the
past five years, much of which has been spent on
5G networks. Mobile capex/revenue in the region
was 16% at the end of 2023, likely marking the
peak of the 5G investment cycle. However, mobile
capex is still projected to surpass €25 billion in
each year to 2030.

Figure 6
Mobile revenue
Europe: mobile revenue and year-on-year growth
Annual growth
Billion

€200

€180 1.7%
1.6%
€160
1.4%
€140
1.2% 1.2%
€120 1.1%

€100 0.9%

€80

€60

€40

€20

€0
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 15 / 46

The mobile sector In 2023, mobile technologies and services
generated 5% of GDP across Europe, a

added €1.1 trillion of

contribution that amounted to almost €1.1 trillion of
economic value added. The greatest benefits came

economic value to
from the productivity effects generated by the
use of mobile services across the economy, which

the European
reached €700 billion. The direct contribution by
the mobile industry ecosystem was also significant
at €230 billion.
economy in 2023 The mobile ecosystem comprises three
categories: mobile operators; infrastructure and
equipment providers; and content and services.
The infrastructure and equipment category
includes network equipment providers, device
manufacturers and IoT companies. Meanwhile,
the content and services category encompasses
content, mobile application and service providers,
distributors and retailers and mobile cloud
services.

Figure 7
Europe: total economic contribution of mobile, 2023
Billion, percentage of GDP

€700 €1,080

3.3%

Mobile ecosystem
5.0%

€130

€40 0.6%
€80
0.3%
€110
0.3%

0.5%

Mobile Infrastructure Content and Indirect Productivity Total

operators and services
equipment
providers

Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 16 / 46

By 2030, mobile’s By 2030, mobile’s contribution will reach
€1.2 trillion in Europe, driven mostly by the

economic contribution
continued expansion of the mobile ecosystem
and verticals increasingly benefiting from the

in Europe will reach

improvements in productivity and efficiency
brought about by the take-up of mobile

€1.2 trillion
services. This underscores the connectivity
sector's role as a core enabler of Europe's
digital economy.

Figure 8
Europe: economic impact of mobile
Billion

€1,080 €1,200

2023 2030
Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile ecosystem Mobile operators and the wider mobile

ecosystem provided direct employment to

in Europe supported
around 2 million people in Europe in 2023. In
addition, economic activity in the ecosystem

more than 3 million

generated roughly 1.4 million jobs in other
sectors, meaning around 3.3 million jobs in

jobs in 2023
total were directly or indirectly supported.

Figure 9
Europe: employment impact of the mobile industry, 2023
Jobs (million)

1.4

3.3
1.9

Direct Indirect Total

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 17 / 46

The fiscal In 2023, the mobile sector in Europe made a
substantial contribution to the funding of the

contribution of the
public sector, with €120 billion raised through
taxes. The largest contribution came from

mobile ecosystem
employment taxes and social security, which
generated €50 billion, followed by services VAT,

in Europe reached
sales taxes and excise duties at €40 billion.

€120 billion in 2023

Figure 10
Europe: fiscal contribution of the mobile ecosystem, 2023
Billion

€50

€10
€120
€20

€40

Services VAT, Handset VAT, Corporate taxes Employment Total

sales taxes and sales taxes, on profits taxes and social
excise duties excise and security
customs duties

Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding.

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 18 / 46

5G will add more 5G’s contribution to the European economy
is expected to exceed €160 billion in 2030,

than €160 billion

accounting for approximately 14% of the overall
economic impact of mobile. Much of this will

to the European
materialise between 2023 and 2028. Towards the
end of the decade, 5G’s economic benefits will

economy in 2030
level off as the technology achieves scale and
adoption begins to plateau.

While 5G is expected to benefit most sectors

of the European economy, some industries will
benefit more than others due to their ability
to incorporate 5G use cases in their business.
Between 2023 and 2030, 34% of benefits are
expected to originate from the manufacturing
sector, driven by applications such as smart
factories, smart grids and IoT-enabled products.
Other sectors that will experience significant
benefits are the public administration and services
sectors at 19% and 12%, respectively.

Figure 11 Other
Europe: annual 5G contribution by industry Construction and real estate
Billion Finance
Information and communication
Services
Public administration
Manufacturing

€180

€160
13%
€140
6%
6%
€120
10%
€100
12%
€80
19%
€60

€40

34%
€20

€0

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

Source: GSMA Intelligence

The mobile industry in numbers 19 / 46

02
Mobile industry
trends
2.1
5G benchmarking: assessing five years
of 5G
The number of 5G connections worldwide Against this backdrop, GSMA Intelligence’s
surpassed 2 billion at the end of 2024, five years 5G Connectivity Index (5GI) provides a
after the arrival of the technology, making it the comprehensive assessment of 5G in 39 markets,
fastest-growing mobile broadband technology offering valuable insights for informed decision-
to date. However, despite this progress, the making and investment by the mobile ecosystem
technology has not yet realised its full potential and policymakers. 2 It is constructed around two
in terms of digital transformation, economic categories, 5G infrastructure and 5G services,
impact and commercial value. This highlights the which are divided into six pillars, which are
imperative for strategic interventions, enabling in turn made up of 17 indicators. In order to
policies and targeted investments to ensure the ensure comparability across indicators, they are
evolution of 5G everywhere. normalised using the ‘minimum-maximisation’
method, which gives all indicators a score between
0 to 100, with a higher score always representing
stronger performance.

Figure 12
5G Connectivity Index structure and weightings: categories, pillars and
indicators

5G infrastructure 5G services
50% 50%

Spectrum Network Experience Affordability Adoption Market

10% 45% 45% 30% 40% development
30%

Low-band 5G base Download 5G data 5G subscriber Data traffic

spectrum stations speeds affordability penetration per user
45% 40% 40% 50% 50% 70%

Mid-band 5G coverage Upload 5G device 5G device Revenue

spectrum 40% speeds affordability shipments growth
45% 30% 50% 30% 30%

mmWave 5G Latencies 5G FWA

spectrum standalone 10% penetration
10% 20% 20%

Video quality
20%

Source: GSMA Intelligence

2. The 5G Connectivity Index webtool provides overall index scores as well as the underlying score for each indicator.

Mobile industry trends 21 / 46

Figure 13
5G Connectivity Index categories, pillars and indicators

5G infrastructure
Pillar Indicator Description Source

Spectrum Low-band Amount of spectrum in bands below 1 GHz GSMA Intelligence

spectrum assigned to mobile network operators

Mid-band Amount of spectrum in bands in 1-7 GHz assigned GSMA Intelligence

spectrum to mobile network operators

mmWave Amount of spectrum in bands above 24 GHz GSMA Intelligence

spectrum assigned to mobile network operators

Network 5G base stations Number of 5G base stations deployed per GSMA Intelligence
100,000 people

5G coverage* Coverage and availability of 5G networks Ookla Speedtest

Intelligence® and
GSMA Intelligence

5G standalone Proportion of 5G connections with operators GSMA Intelligence

that have deployed a 5G standalone network

Experience Download speeds Median download speed for mobile users Ookla Speedtest
Intelligence

Upload speeds Median upload speed for mobile users Ookla Speedtest
Intelligence

Latencies Median latency for mobile users Ookla Speedtest

Intelligence

Video quality Weighted sum of multiple video quality metrics Ookla Speedtest
Intelligence

5G services
Pillar Indicator Description Source

Affordability 5G data Monthly affordability of 5G data plans (based on Tarifica

affordability** 20 GB, 50 GB and 100 GB mobile 5G data plans)

5G device Monthly affordability of the cheapest available Tarifica

affordability 5G device

Adoption 5G subscriber 5G connections at the end of the period, expressed GSMA Intelligence
penetration as a percentage share of the total population

5G device Proportion of new device sales that are 5G-enabled Counterpoint

shipments Research

5G FWA 5G FWA connections as percentage GSMA Intelligence

penetration of total households

Market Data traffic per Monthly data traffic per connection GSMA Intelligence
development user

Revenue growth The average percentage growth in mobile GSMA Intelligence

operator revenues since the launch of 5G networks
in the market

* The indicators for 5G coverage entail a combination of two additional sub-indicators: 5G population coverage (representing the proportion of the population cov-
ered by a 5G network, sourced from GSMA Intelligence) and 5G availability (reflecting the proportion of users on 5G-capable devices who spend the majority of their
time on 5G, sourced from Ookla Speedtest Intelligence).
** The indicators for 5G data affordability entail a combination of three additional sub-indicators: monthly affordability of the cheapest 20, 50 and 100 GB mobile 5G
data plan (initially expressed as a percentage of monthly GDP per capita, sourced from Tarifica).
Source: GSMA Intelligence

Mobile industry trends 22 / 46

The results of the 5GI are presented in Figure 14. on spectrum and affordability but lagging behind
Leading the way are developed economies in the leading markets in multiple indicators across
Middle East, Scandinavia, Asia Pacific and North the network, experience, adoption and market
America. Most European countries included in the development pillars.
index have scores between 40 and 50, scoring well

Figure 14 Americas
Asia Pacific
5G Connectivity Index results by market, Q3 2024 Europe
Scores out of 100 Middle East
Sub-Saharan Africa

Kuwait 67

UAE 64

Qatar 64

Finland 61

Hong Kong 59

Denmark 59

Norway 59

Singapore 58

US 57

South Korea 56

Switzerland 55

China 54

Australia 54

Saudi Arabia 51

Japan 51

Netherlands 50

Germany 50

Austria 49

Canada 47

Sweden 47

Bulgaria 47

France 47

UK 47

Italy 44

Spain 43

Greece 43

Israel 42

Czechia 42

Thailand 41

Malaysia 41

New Zealand 38

India 33

Chile 33

Brazil 31

Philippines 26

Mexico 24

South Africa 21

Indonesia 21

Nigeria 18

Source: GSMA Intelligence

Mobile industry trends 23 / 46

Europe lags behind in the network and experience pillars
Europe’s score on the network pillar highlights 5G SA is another area where performance in
the need to accelerate the deployment of 5G Europe falls short compared to other advanced
base stations (with 11 of the 15 European countries regions. At the end of Q3 2024, only around 15%
included in the 5GI scoring lower than 30 on this of operators in Europe with live 5G networks had
indicator). 3 Europe fares better on coverage: launched 5G SA, compared to over 30% in Asia
24 European countries reported over 90% 5G Pacific and North America. This is indicative of
population coverage by the end of 2024. A the difficult operating conditions facing European
combination of low- and mid-band spectrum has operators. Recent 5G SA launches by EE in the UK
been deployed by operators to accomplish this. and Free in France suggest 5G SA deployments
Extending the deployment of mid-band spectrum, are gathering pace, but the speed of rollouts
particularly in the 3.5 GHz range, is vital for remains slower than many industry players
delivering the network performance necessary anticipated a few years ago.
for advanced applications.

Figure 15
5G base stations
5G Connectivity Index: network, Q3 2024
5G coverage
Scores out of 100
5G SA

100
97 95

83

68 70
66 68
64
60 60

52

32
30 30 29
27

South Korea China Japan GCC states US Europe

Note: The scores for the GCC states and Europe reflect an average of the countries from these regions included in the 5GI, not all countries.
Source: GSMA Intelligence

3. The network pillar consists of 5G base stations, 5G coverage and 5G standalone. See Figure 13 for more details.

Mobile industry trends 24 / 46

In all of the markets included in the first edition of perform better in the 5G experience pillar than in
the 5GI, the consumer experience on 5G networks the 5G network pillar. However, they still need to
is noticeably outperforming that of 4G networks. improve their performance to reach the levels seen
By the end of 2023, average 5G download speeds in leading markets within the GCC states and in
had reached approximately 230 Mbps, a more than developed Asia Pacific, particularly with regard to
fivefold increase from the 44 Mbps of 4G speeds. download speeds.
European countries included in the 5GI typically

Figure 16
Download speeds
5G Connectivity Index: experience, Q3 2024 Upload speeds
Scores out of 100 Latencies

81
77 77

69
65
59 59

52
50
48 48

35 36
31 30
28

18
16

GCC states China Europe South Korea US Japan

Note: The scores for GCC states and Europe reflect an average of the countries from these regions included in the 5GI, not all countries.
Source: GSMA Intelligence

Mobile industry trends 25 / 46

European operators face a tough financial outlook
In the 5G services category of the 5GI, Europe Figure 17 highlights the difficulties faced by
performs well on affordability but falls behind European operators as they enter the next phase
on the adoption and market development pillars. of the 5G era. The highly competitive mobile
North America, East Asia and the GCC states market has restricted prospects for revenue
lead on 5G adoption (see Figure 3), with only six growth, leaving mobile ARPUs significantly
markets in Europe surpassing the 40% mark at lower than those in other advanced regions. This
the end of 2024. In the market development pillar, constrains the ability of operators in the region to
Europe trails on advancements in the data traffic invest, with Europe's revenue weakness mirrored
per user and revenue growth indicators, which are by lower mobile capex per capita. These financial
crucial for establishing a solid business case for the challenges underscore the need for strong policy
next phase of 5G. actions to drive a turnaround in Europe (as
detailed in Chapter 4).

Figure 17
Monthly ARPU, by mobile connection
Mobile ARPU and mobile capex per capita, 2024 Mobile capex per capita

€105

€90
€86

€73

€49
€41
€32

€21
€18 €18
€11
€6

US GCC states Japan South Korea Europe China

Source: GSMA Intelligence

Mobile industry trends 26 / 46

2.2
5G’s next wave: focus shifts to
5G-Advanced and 5G RedCap
5G technology is now available in more than 100 have launched 5G FWA services, while 5G FWA
countries around the world. GSMA Intelligence household adoption is expected to reach double-
data shows that the number of 5G connections digit figures in percentage terms in several
surpassed 2 billion globally at the end of 2024, European countries by 2030, including Austria,
equivalent to nearly a quarter of total mobile Bulgaria and Switzerland.
connections. 5G has reached mass-market levels in
Targeted use cases of 5G FWA services to
several pioneering countries, accounting for more
enterprises include providing point of primary
than half of mobile connections. These include
connectivity for selected applications (e.g. mobile
Germany and Switzerland in Europe, as well as
payments), providing connectivity for temporary
China, South Korea and the US.
sites (e.g. pop-up stores or construction zones)
5G fixed wireless access (FWA) has emerged and back-up connectivity in case of failure of the
as an important use case in the consumer and primary fixed broadband connection. 5G FWA
enterprise segments, complementing operators’ is particularly needed in areas where businesses
enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) offerings. have little choice of providers or where fibre
To date, operators in 24 countries across Europe connections may not be cost effective.

Mobile industry trends 27 / 46

Advanced 5G technologies gain traction
Operators in Europe are increasingly shifting their compatible devices at no extra cost. In November,
focus to more advanced forms of 5G to unlock Virgin Media O2 deployed 5G SA small cells in
new use cases and monetisation opportunities. Birmingham city centre in the UK, with initial
In particular, operators have begun deploying 5G performance data showing a better mobile internet
networks based on the SA architecture, which experience for customers.
offers several capabilities, including network slicing
Beyond the deployment of 5G SA networks,
– the flexibility of allocating network resources
operators in Europe are looking to leverage
dynamically to specific service-level agreements.
5G-Advanced and 5G reduced capability
5G SA networks will be pivotal to fully realising the
(RedCap) technologies to deliver new solutions for
capabilities of 5G technology.
enterprises. 5G-Advanced, as part of 3GPP
In 2024, there was a flurry of 5G SA launches in Release 18 in 2024, is the next milestone in the
leading markets across Europe, with the number 5G era and is set to enhance mobility by enabling
of live 5G SA networks reaching 18 by the end of uplink and multicast at better latency, increase
September 2024. For example, Deutsche Telekom accuracy for extended reality (XR) applications
launched its 5G SA network in tandem with its and improve the reliability of AI/machine-learning
new 5G+ Gaming option that is based on network (ML) data-driven designs. In the GSMA Intelligence
slicing. The operator has opted to offer market- Network Transformation Survey 2024, operators
specific 5G SA–based use cases to its subscribers globally most commonly pointed to improved
as opposed to a general 5G SA network launch. In carrier aggregation to deliver higher peak speeds
September, French operator Free launched its 5G as a main 5G-Advanced feature.
SA service, offering the service to customers with

Figure 18 Rank 1
5G-Advanced: priority use cases Rank 2
Which 5G-Advanced use cases and applications are most important to your network
transformation priorities? (Top two choices)
Percentage of operators (globally)

Enhanced multi-carrier operations 20% 14%

5G multicast 15% 22%

Advanced MIMO 15% 7%

Enhanced mobility 14% 14%

Ambient IoT 12% 7%

NTN integration 7% 17%

RedCap IoT 6% 2%

FWA enhancements 5% 5%

Time-sensitive networking 3% 7%

Enhanced sidelink and relays 3% 5%

Source: GSMA Intelligence Operators in Focus: Network Transformation Survey 2024

Mobile industry trends 28 / 46

Meanwhile, 3GPP Release 17 introduced the Below are recent examples of 5G-Advanced and
RedCap user equipment category for energy- and 5G RedCap activities in Europe:
cost-efficient 5G IoT connectivity (also known as
• O2 Telefónica Germany is working with Nokia
5G NR-Light). In comparison to 5G eMBB devices
to harness 5G-Advanced and 5G SA networks
that can deliver gigabits per second throughput
to decouple legacy technologies and processes
in both the downlink and uplink, RedCap devices
while providing a framework for exposing
efficiently support 150 Mbps and 50 Mbps in the
network APIs to application developers.
downlink and uplink, respectively. The reduced
complexity of RedCap devices contributes to cost- • Orange has assessed some key 5G-Advanced
efficiency, a smaller device footprint and longer technologies, including a 6 GHz test and
battery life due to lower power consumption. passive IoT verification. The operator expects
5G-Advanced services to improve network
5G RedCap is an important enabler for mid-tier
energy efficiency to lower power consumption,
cellular IoT applications; it serves as a platform
and enable use cases around end-to-end slicing
for the successful migration of IoT applications
for cloud gaming and a next-generation, real-
to 5G networks in order to take advantage of the
time communication service.
benefits of 5G beyond just speed. A range of use
cases will benefit from RedCap, notably wearables, • Vodafone, along with Ericsson and Qualcomm,
video monitoring and telematics. For example, has demonstrated the first RAN RedCap data
most wearables support medium data rates in sessions on a European network. The operator
small form factors with relatively low power expects this to pave the way for IoT and other
consumption, which is not achievable with eMBB connected devices to transmit data more simply
or massive machine-type communications (mMTC). and efficiently.
Also, many video applications for surveillance
don’t require the eMBB’s high data rates and so • BT Group has collaborated with Nokia and
can benefit from the lower power consumption MediaTek to complete trials of 5G RedCap,
achievable with 5G RedCap. highlighting the opportunity to enable new 5G
use cases for many industries, with potentially
billions of new devices connected with 5G.

The growing focus on 5G-Advanced and 5G

RedCap will kick-start a new round of 5G
investments in and lay the foundation for the
next wave of 5G use cases that could unlock
new revenue streams for operators and the
wider ecosystem in both the consumer and
enterprise segments. More than half of operators
globally in the GSMA Intelligence Network
Transformation Survey 2024 said they plan to
deploy 5G-Advanced in the near term.

5G RedCap is an important
enabler for mid-tier cellular
IoT applications

Mobile industry trends 29 / 46

2.3
Open Gateway: capturing the opportunities
ahead
While it has long been possible to expose network The APIs are defined, developed and published in
APIs, operators have struggled to adopt a CAMARA, the open-source project for developers
standardised approach that unlocks innovation to access enhanced network capabilities, driven
at a global scale. This is the driving force behind by the Linux Foundation in collaboration with the
the GSMA Open Gateway, which helps developers GSMA.
and cloud providers enhance and deploy services
The GSMA Open Gateway comprises a library of
more quickly via single points of access to operator
over 20 APIs. These are split into different families
networks.
based on the use case being addressed.4 The APIs
The GSMA Open Gateway is achieved via common, have the potential to facilitate numerous use cases,
northbound service APIs that expose mobile including tackling digital fraud, simplifying user
operators’ network capabilities within a consistent, authentication and addressing quality-of-service
interoperable and federated framework. (QoS) issues.

4. API families include anti-fraud, mobile connectivity and value-added services, fixed connectivity, cloud and edge, and payments.

Mobile industry trends 30 / 46

GSMA Open Gateway gathers steam
As of December 2024, 67 operator groups had of the companies using the solution for live
signed up to the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, broadcasting. It began testing with Deutsche
accounting for 75% of mobile connections globally. Telekom in 2022, before the two companies
BT, CK Hutchison, Deutsche Telekom, KPN, Liberty formed a full production partnership for the 2024
Global, MasMovil, Orange, Swisscom, Telefónica, UEFA European Football Championship.
Telenor, TIM, Veon and Vodafone are among the
• Vodafone UK’s ‘Scam Signal’: The Scam Signal
operators in Europe to have signed up to the
API enables financial institutions to swiftly
initiative. This shows a clear intent to establish the
identify and thwart fraudulent bank transfers
supply side of the API equation.
as they occur in real time. Leveraging advanced
The geographic breakdown of operator analyses of real-time network data during live
commitments indicates whether a region is above transactions, it effectively detects and mitigates
or below its established market share. Europe social engineering attempts aimed at deceiving
is a leading region, with committed operators and defrauding account holders. This builds on
representing more than 20% of GSMA Open Vodafone’s launch of the GSMA Open Gateway
Gateway commitments despite accounting for SIM Swap and Number Verification API to
around only 10% of mobile connections. improve online verification and security.

Many of the early API launches in Europe have These two solutions illustrate the potential of
focused on fraud prevention and security, using network APIs to solve real-world problems.
SIM Swap and Number Verification. These However, APIs that function only on a single
represent easy wins, given the ever-present risks network offer less benefit to developers compared
from fraudsters and breaches for operators and to APIs that are available across multiple networks.
their customers. Other parts of the API library (e.g. This is why operators in several countries have
Quality on Demand) are also being assessed as attempted to coordinate the rollout of several
operators expand their rollouts of 5G SA and other GSMA Open Gateway APIs.
enabling technologies. Examples of commercial
In Spain, for example, Orange, Telefónica and
deployments include the following:
Vodafone have launched the SIM Swap and
• Deutsche Telekom’s ‘5G Live Video Production’: Number Verification APIs. Second-hand fashion
The 5G Live Video Production solution leverages e-commerce retailer Vinted is among the early
Deutsche Telekom’s 5G SA and network slicing adopters to have integrated the GSMA Open
capabilities, along with the Quality on Demand Gateway Number Verification API into its security
API, to ensure stable broadcasting for live framework. This enhances Vinted’s authentication
events. As a result, TV teams can transmit their protocols and streamlines its identification process.
live HD videos streams reliably, even without
a satellite connection. RTL Deutschland is one

Scaling up the network API opportunity

2025 will bring more operator commitments and among the European operators to have joined the
further commercial launches in Europe. Concrete JV, with other operators able to join on the same
examples of how federation and agreement on terms as existing JV members.
common APIs can drive success will be key to
The formation of this new JV signals the
drive usage. This will require operators to focus
commitment of leading players in the industry to
on the developer experience, dedicating internal
scale up the network API opportunity. It should
resources to work directly with developers while
help to accelerate the rate at which network APIs
building partnerships with API aggregators
become accessible across multiple networks,
that can help operators reach a broader set of
while also simplifying commercial agreements
developers.
between developers and operators. Nonetheless,
In this regard, the announcement in September the aggregator landscape is diverse and operators
2024 that Ericsson and some of the world’s largest are likely to rely on partnerships with a range
operators have created a joint venture (JV) to of infrastructure players, hyperscalers and
combine and sell network APIs to the global communications-platform-as-a-service (CPaaS)
developer community is significant. Deutsche providers to maximise the reach of their network
Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are APIs.

Mobile industry trends 31 / 46

2.4
Generative AI: driving transformation and
building partnerships
AI, including generative AI (genAI), is gaining • Vodafone supports customer services with
traction globally and operators in Europe are at chatbot: Early in 2024, Voxi by Vodafone
the forefront of this development, with increased launched a telecoms-specific genAI chatbot
investment in these technologies to pilot in the UK, powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT and
innovative use cases and expand deployments. developed in collaboration with Accenture.
As AI adoption grows in the region, much of the It has initially served a limited customer base
industry’s work is focusing on optimising networks, to address any early-stage issues, with plans
enhancing security and improving customer for broader deployment. The chatbot aims to
services. 5 Examples of this include the following: deliver a more interactive, human-like support
experience, marking Voxi's commitment to
• Orange adds network AI to its operation centre:
integrating genAI into customer service for
In April 2024, Orange incorporated Augtera’s
greater efficiency and engagement. This move
AI and ML network operations platform into its
aligns with Vodafone’s recent 10-year strategic
network operations centre to enhance network
partnership with Microsoft, focused on enhancing
reliability and efficiency. This integration was
customer service and digital transformation
expected to be completed by the end of 2024
through AI.
and is following a two-year trial across Orange’s
global networks. It aims to reduce daily alarm • Deutsche Telekom leverages AI to bolster
alerts by 70% through AI-driven anomaly security defences: Every day, Deutsche
detections and auto-correlation of network Telekom's cyber-defence team analyses around
data. With Augtera’s predictive capabilities, 1 billion pieces of security-relevant data for
the operator can proactively address network signs of cyberattacks. This process is fully
incidents before customers experience service automated with the assistance of AI, which can
impacts. This integration enables operations recognise patterns and deviations, indicating
teams to prioritise significant alerts, enhancing attacks more quickly and efficiently. Deutsche
their responsiveness and the customer Telekom has developed and trained the AI
experience across a network that spans over 100 itself, in cooperation with Telekom Innovation
countries. Laboratories. The operator has been using AI for
over two years now to protect the security of its
• EE improves network reliability with AI: EE
own infrastructure and its customers.
launched its 5G SA network across 15 cities in
the UK in September 2024. The 5G SA network Beyond network deployments, operators also
leverages ML for network efficiency, putting recognise that maximising AI’s potential will require
inactive mobile cells to sleep to save energy. The new network capabilities i.e. networks for AI.
network uses AI to improve reliability with the For example, edge computing for AI inferencing
‘Network Boost’ feature to enhance performance is considered a promising 5G monetisation
in busy areas. opportunity, albeit one that necessitates
investment in edge assets and management
capabilities.

5. GSMA Intelligence AI Adoption Survey 2024

Mobile industry trends 32 / 46

 Figure 19
More than a third of operators surveyed in Europe claim to have deployed genAI
across multiple business areas
Percentage of operators

36%

21%
18%
12% 12%

Widely deployed Aware and Piloting a few use Currently limited Completely
across multiple identifying initial cases but currently deployment across integrated Al
(but not all) deployment use not implemented a few business across all business
business areas cases areas areas

Source: GSMA Intelligence AI Adoption Survey 2024

Partnerships driving innovations

Operators in Europe are increasingly forming Such partnerships are key to enhancing operators’
regional and global partnerships to strengthen AI capabilities and paving the way for new
their genAI capabilities. For instance, Telefónica business models and revenue streams. However,
partnered with Matsuko and Nvidia to launch a challenges remain, particularly around cloud and
holographic meeting experience at MWC 2024. computing capacity and funding. There is also a
The operator also partnered with Microsoft to shortage of skilled AI professionals, particularly
integrate Azure AI Studio in its Kernel platform to in areas such as data engineering and advanced
streamline genAI workflows. Separately, Deutsche AI model development. To support AI adoption
Telekom, which is part of the Global Telco AI and skills for the telecoms sector, the GSMA and
Alliance, is collaborating with multinational IBM have jointly launched the GSMA Advance
partners to enhance telecoms-specific LLM AI Training programme and the GSMA Foundry
technology. Generative AI challenge and programme,
furthering genAI progress across the telecoms
industry.

Making the most of AI responsibly

The mobile industry is committed to the Recognising the need for ethical standards,
ethical use of AI in its operations and customer the GSMA has collaborated with operators and
interactions to protect customers and employees, AI experts to create the GSMA Responsible AI
remove any entrenched inequality and ensure that Maturity Roadmap,6 an actionable framework
AI operates reliably and fairly for all stakeholders. designed to help operators assess and improve
As AI adoption accelerates, organisations and AI practices responsibly. Increased collaboration
governments are evaluating how best to leverage between policymakers can also help private-sector
this technology for the welfare of people and the organisations establish appropriate AI guidelines.
planet. For instance, the EU’s AI Act regulates To support this outcome, the EU AI Office and the
the ethical use of AI and has set a framework for US AI Safety Institute announced they will work
operators to develop AI applications responsibly. together on tools to evaluate AI models.

6. The GSMA Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap

Mobile industry trends 33 / 46

2.5
Satellites and NTNs: momentum builds
behind aerial connectivity
Terrestrial networks remain the primary form of Terrestrial networks now cover more than 95% of
connectivity, supported by the wide area coverage the world's population but less than 45% of the
of wireless networks and the mass production world's landmass. Satellites and NTNs are well
and adoption of mobile devices. In recent years, suited to deliver connectivity in maritime, remote
however, technological advances in various and polar areas, where deploying conventional
satellite and other non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) terrestrial networks could be costly and
have helped to overcome several limitations challenging.
associated with aerial connectivity. This has
The 3GPP has laid the foundation for satellite-
resulted in significant performance improvements,
based connectivity through standardisation
lower deployment costs and more commercially
to extend the reach of 5G to regions lacking
viable business models for satellite and NTN-based
terrestrial infrastructure. Four broad use cases
connectivity solutions.
have been identified:
Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and high-altitude
• Service continuity: For coverage where it is
platform station (HAPS) providers have attracted
not feasible with terrestrial networks, such as
much attention on the back of significant
maritime or remote areas.
investments and technical breakthroughs
that improve the business case for delivering • Service ubiquity: For mission-critical
connectivity at scale. A key selling point for aerial communications, such as for disaster relief
connectivity solutions is the potential to provide during outage of terrestrial networks.
ubiquitous coverage all over the globe.
• Service scalability: For services that can be
more efficiently supported via satellite, such as
multicasting/broadcasting of similar content over
a large area.

• Backhaul services: For transport for sites with

weak or no backhaul capacity.

Mobile industry trends 34 / 46

Europe aims to keep pace with satellite connectivity
Authorities in China and the US have taken a to develop, deploy and operate the Union’s secure
strategic interest in the development of satellite connectivity satellite system, IRIS2 (Infrastructure
constellations to meet data processing and for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security
connectivity needs, with considerable public and by Satellite). The consortium is composed of
private investments into various initiatives. For European satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and
example, the Chinese government expects the Hispasat, with a core team of associated partners
total capacity of the country’s high-orbit satellites from different segments of the ecosystem,
to exceed 500 Gbps by the end of its 14th Five- including telecoms operators Deutsche Telekom
Year Plan (2021–2025), while several state-backed and Orange.
Chinese entities have announced plans to launch
The emergence of new players across the
more than 26,000 LEO satellites for internet
European satellite ecosystem demonstrates a
connectivity in the coming years. Meanwhile,
growing interest and positive outlook for the role
the US is home to some of the world’s leading
of satellites, and aerial technologies more broadly,
LEO satellite providers, notably Starlink, AST
in the future connectivity landscape. Recently,
SpaceMobile, Lynk Global and Amazon’s Project
French startup Constellation Technologies &
Kuiper, with around 7,000 satellites already in orbit
Operations raised €9.3 million in funding to
and many more planned in the coming years.
conduct its first end-to-end connectivity tests,
Recent developments suggest that European which aims to provide low-latency internet services
authorities are taking steps to keep pace with for telecoms operators, while FOSSA Systems, a
their global peers in the development and Spanish operator of picosatellites, has secured
application of satellite connectivity. For example, funds to start offering full commercial connectivity
in October 2024, the European Commission services for remote monitoring and tracking
awarded a contract to the SpaceRISE consortium devices.

A new era of telco-satellite partnerships

The advent of LEO and HAPS solutions has • Deutsche Telekom, Qualcomm and Skylo
ushered in a new era of collaboration between successfully completed an end-to-end trial of
telecoms and satellite operators for solutions SMS send and receipt over a geostationary orbit
spanning several use cases, including remote (GEO) satellite. The companies claimed it is the
area connectivity, disaster response and maritime first time in Europe that an operator's terrestrial
services. Examples of partnerships and other mobile network has been integrated into a
recent activities include the following: satellite network to enable texting based on the
3GPP Release 17 specifications for direct-to-
• Vodafone and Intelsat have extended their
device connectivity.
partnership to offer wider coverage of temporary
and on-the-move satellite connectivity services These developments underline the importance
to organisations operating in hard-to-reach areas of collaboration between telecoms and satellite
or disaster zones. operators to maximise the potential of aerial
connectivity in a way that is mutually beneficial
• Orange has partnered with OneWeb to improve
and supplemental to mobile services. For telecoms
and expand its overall connectivity, particularly in
operators, satellite and NTN connectivity enables
rural and remote areas across Europe and other
access to new customers in underserved areas and
regions. The partnership allows Orange to offer
the capability to provide connectivity in remote
enriched connectivity to enterprise customers
areas. For satellite providers, operators’ existing
and improve backhauling in remote locations.
relationships with end users and, where relevant,
• Virgin Media O2 is using Starlink’s LEO satellites existing spectrum holdings is crucial for satellite
to provide mobile backhaul for remote regions solutions to scale. GSMA Intelligence estimates
of the UK, with a view to accelerating its shared a total incremental revenue opportunity from
rural network rollout. The operator has deployed satellite-to-phone services of over $30 billion for
Starlink for mobile backhaul solutions in the telecoms operators by 2035.
Scottish Highlands, which would be difficult or
impossible to connect using fibre or microwave
solutions.

Mobile industry trends 35 / 46

03
Mobile industry
impact
3.1
The mobile industry’s impact on the SDGs
The mobile industry continues to expand its impact SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 6: Clean
on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Water and Sanitation and SDG 3: Good Health and
driven by the increased reach of mobile networks Well-being) have seen the biggest improvement in
and growing take-up of mobile internet services. mobile industry impact score, according to GSMA
research.7

Figure 20
Mobile's impact on the SDGs in Europe

Most improved SDGs

Source: GSMA Intelligence

European operators are leaders in climate action

Operators in Europe are leading the way on climate Operators are focused on energy efficiency and
action, with operational emissions per connection renewable energy to reduce emissions, particularly
reduced by over 50% between 2019 and 2022. within network operations. The EU’s robust
Operators collectively purchased a record 22 TWh renewable energy policies have driven operators
of renewable electricity, accounting for 40% of to adopt impactful energy purchasing strategies,
the global telecoms renewable energy total. 8 advancing progress towards SDG 7, which aims to
The majority of operational emissions came from ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable
generated and purchased electricity. and modern energy for all.

7. 2024 Mobile Industry Impact Report: Sustainable Development Goals, GSMA, 2024
8. Mobile Net Zero 2024, GSMA, 2024

Mobile industry impact 37 / 46

 Deutsche Telekom’s renewables and energy efficiency strategies
Energy efficiency is one of the four pillars For instance, Deutsche Telekom’s Cell-Sleep
of Deutsche Telekom’s climate strategy and Mode allows antennas to partially power down
an integral lever to achieve its net-zero when full capacity isn’t needed, leading to
targets. In 2023, the operator announced a 13 GWh energy saving in Germany alone
a new, ambitious net-zero target: to reduce and over 50 GWh across its operations. In
its value-chain emissions by 55% until 2030 addition to these efforts, Deutsche Telekom
and reach net zero across the whole value signed a power purchase agreement in 2023
chain by 2040. to support a new offshore wind farm, which
is expected to add 400 GWh of renewable
A major focus has been on making network
energy annually to the grid, underscoring the
operations more energy efficient through
operator’s commitment to renewable energy
innovations and technology upgrades.
expansion.

Water management with connectivity

SDG 6 focuses on ensuring the availability and • BT’s IoT and AI collaboration with Yorkshire
sustainable management of water and sanitation Water: BT collaborated with Yorkshire Water in
for all. Mobile technology improves many aspects the UK to install IoT monitors on water courses
of water delivery and sanitation provisioning. feeding the reservoir to help remotely monitor
Effective metering and revenue collection are water quality. Supported by an EE mast installed
central to a healthy, functioning water utility. At nearby, the system provides connectivity for
the same time, IoT solutions such as smart meters the sensors to relay data back to Yorkshire
deployed by operators are helping to understand Water – where scientists and engineers use it
consumption behaviours to drive efficiencies in for improved decision-making. The availability
the energy and water sectors. The mobile industry of better insights on water quality can have a
in Europe is increasingly driving deployment of knock-on impact on the carbon footprint of
smart solutions, especially for digital utilities, Yorkshire Water. Additionally, BT’s AI technology
by leveraging 5G in IoT solutions. Some recent is being trialled with Severn Trent in Derbyshire
examples on water management initiatives are as to autonomously manage wastewater, helping to
follows: prevent flooding and pollution through predictive
maintenance. The AI technology will be
• LMT’s smart water meters in Latvia: LMT has
deployed on pumping stations and will operate
installed 770 ultrasonic NB-IoT water meters
independently, using monitors, and provide
across two towns in Latvia, which automate
forecasting. The aim is to see if it can predict
billing, reduce manual reading time and
issues, such as storm-weather conditions, before
streamline invoicing. LMT plans to add 4,040
they occur.
more meters over the next four years, enabling
efficient resource management in municipalities.

Mobile industry impact 38 / 46

Operators supporting healthcare delivery
Operators contribute to SDG 3 by enhancing medical vehicles, robotic surgery, telemedicine,
healthcare through the use of 5G and AI. health monitoring and remote diagnostics. These
Mobile technology helps to secure healthcare 5G-enabled services aim to elevate patient care
financing, optimises healthcare service delivery, through real-time connectivity.
provides health workers with enhanced skills and
• Telefónica’s 3D robotics surgery: Telefónica
supports the infrastructure needed for the health
and the Germans Trias Hospital in Barcelona
information system and early detection of diseases
have developed a pilot of 3D immersive
through analytics. In Europe, operators are not only
robotic surgery and training with the Da Vinci
providing connectivity to health services solutions
surgical system. The project was carried out in
but also driving health care projects, such as with
collaboration with Abex Excelencia Robotica
the following examples:
and mSurgery. The solution uses a combination
• Nos’s 5G healthcare project: Nos is leading a 5G of technologies such as 5G, VR/AR and edge
healthcare project in Portugal with support from computing, enabling real-time connectivity and
the European Commission. Using 5G technology the remote operation of a robotic system with 3D
and with an investment of over €3.3 million, the vision. This set-up also allows for remote training
project will implement six use cases, including participation via VR headsets and tablets,
VR for intensive care, connected emergency enhancing learning and care delivery.

Mobile industry impact 39 / 46

3.2
Supporting responsible mobile
internet use among children
Children with internet access are often At the same time, the digital environment poses
some of the most frequent users of digital risks, such as age-inappropriate content and online
technologies, both at home and school.9 Mobile exploitation. The GSMA’s mPower Youth initiative,12
technology offers various benefits, including which adopts a rights-based approach, aims to
expanded entertainment, innovative learning maximise digital opportunities for young users
opportunities, exposure to diverse cultures and while addressing the associated risks. Operators
avenues for creative expression. Proficiency in in Europe are also taking proactive steps by
digital technology is increasingly essential for undertaking various initiatives, providing guidance
participating and thriving in today’s economy, and and helping parents with appropriate education
many children are well positioned to benefit. In and on cyberbullying. For instance, EE introduced
2023, the GSMA reported that over half of children age-specific smartphone usage guidelines in
aged 5–17, or approximately 900 million globally, August 2024 to address parental concerns about
used mobile internet, with around two thirds screen time and child well-being. Deutsche
accessing it on personal or primary-use devices. In Telekom’s Teachtoday initiative offers practical
Europe and Central Asia, over 80% of children used resources to support media literacy among
mobile internet.10 children and adults, providing tips for parents and
teachers on media education. This initiative also
While the use of mobile internet among
aligns with Deutsche Telekom’s ongoing campaign
children is growing, it is important to address
against disinformation, emphasising safe and
the inequalities among children that exist both
informed internet use.
between and within countries. Without equitable
access, these disparities can deepen the digital Furthermore, GSMA Mobile Alliance members are
divide, potentially excluding individuals from an collaborating with one another and engaging key
increasingly connected society. In 2021, the UN national and international stakeholders to create a
Committee on the Rights of the Child published unified response to digital child sexual exploitation
guidance for governments on children’s rights in and abuse. This cooperative effort aims to combat
relation to the digital environment.11 It noted that as the challenges posed by digitally facilitated harm
a matter of non-discrimination, governments must against children and ensure their safety in the
ensure all children have equal and effective access online environment.13
to the digital environment, which is becoming
increasingly important across most aspects of
children’s lives.

9. Children and digital technologies: Trends and outcomes, OECD, 2020

10. The State Of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024, GSMA, 2024
11. General comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, March 2021
12. www.gsma.com/mpoweryouth/
13. “GSMA Mobile Alliance to combat Digital Child Sexual Exploitation”, GSMA, February 2024

Mobile industry impact 40 / 46

04
Mobile industry
enablers
Europe finds itself at a pivotal moment, facing As the Union enters a new parliamentary term,
increased global competition, rising trade barriers resolving these underlying issues needs to be a
and a race for technological supremacy. At the priority for the European Commission and other
same time, over-regulation and a raft of structural authorities. This means urgently implementing
issues continue to strangle investment and limit the critical policy reforms to ensure that Europe’s
telecoms sector’s ability to lead in innovation and digital economy, underpinned by strong, sustained
achieve the productivity gains that Europe needs. network innovation, can re-establish a leadership
position in the global tech race by 2030.

4.1
Boosting Europe’s global
competitiveness
European operators’ ability to invest significantly Addressing Europe’s digital infrastructure needs
and sustainably in digital infrastructure is inhibited is an important first step towards resetting the
by a lack of scaling opportunities, a fragmented regulatory framework for telecommunications
telecoms market and a regulatory framework and re-energising the European telecoms sector
long in need of an overhaul, considering the as an engine of competitiveness and prosperity.
monumental technological and market shifts that The benefits of improved investment in digital
have manifested over the past decade. These infrastructure will not only be felt across the
industry challenges should be addressed by the telecoms and technology sectors but across every
European Commission early in its new mandate. other industry. To this end, Europe needs to act
The GSMA and its European operator members swiftly on measures to achieve a competitive,
strongly recommend that the Commission move secure and sustainable European single market
ahead with a legislative proposal – a Digital and future visions such as the provision of cross-
Networks Act. border services. This requires a bold new approach
underpinned by efforts to:
In September 2024, the European Commission
published Mario Draghi’s report on the future of • complete the digital single market
European competitiveness.14 The report highlights
• implement additional measures needed to ensure
the profound innovation and investment gap in
fairness in the internet value chain
digital infrastructure between Europe and its
global competitors. Today, for every 100,000 EU • take a more long-term view on investment and
citizens, there are around 100 5G mobile base innovation effects
stations, compared to 245 and nearly 600 5G
mobile base stations in China and South Korea, • establish a pro-investment approach to EU
respectively.15 In addition, 5G mid-band coverage, spectrum policy
which is ideal for bringing fast, low-latency • support sustainability efforts of mobile
connectivity to urban areas, is around 45% in operators.
Europe but 90% in North America and 95% in
China.16

14. The future of European competitiveness: Part A, European Commission, 2024

15. https://5gobservatory.eu/observatory-overview/interactive-5g-scoreboard/
16. Ericsson Mobility Report, Ericsson, November 2024

Mobile industry enablers 42 / 46

Complete the digital single market
Despite the objective of ensuring more or even pan-EU basis. In particular, the industry
harmonisation, the European telecoms single would benefit from reforms that can correct
market has not emerged. The regulatory inconsistencies in the regulation and reduce
framework, primarily defined by the European barriers to enable a true single digital market. Key
Electronic Communications Code (EECC), is a actions include:
directive with national implementation, and telcos
• addressing technological development by
are additionally subject to a range of non-sector-
assessing whether some of the principles in
specific nationally implemented laws.
the telecoms regulatory framework should be
At the same time, profound changes have taken applied to other parts of the connectivity value
place in the market, with new technologies and chain
use cases that have opened up for a range of
• streamlining regulation where possible by
new players offering equivalent and competing
assessing in detail whether certain areas of the
(i.e. over-the-top) communications services
sector-specific consumer law can be removed in
or complementary services (e.g. cloud service
light of horizontal existing legislation
providers, content delivery network (CDN)
providers). Despite their increasing role in the • achieving greater harmonisation and removing
telecoms market, these players are not regulated in barriers to the single market by further
the same way as telcos. harmonising the remaining sector-specific rules
(e.g. in consumer protection and security law)
As a consequence, there is neither a telecoms
and by issuing further implementation guidance
single market nor a level regulatory playing field.
and encouraging member states to follow best
The European telecoms industry could improve
practices in their implementation of certain
efficiencies and regain strength if it could develop
regulatory measures.
and deploy certain services on a cross-border

Implement additional measures needed to ensure fairness in the internet

value chain
With changes in the competitive dynamics and could be achieved by defining an obligation on
bargaining power between traditional network CAPs to negotiate with internet service providers
operators and large content and application (ISPs) on the terms and conditions for IP data
providers (CAPs) – and with increasing data transport services (at a fair and reasonable price),
traffic volumes driven by the growth of online thereby making the negotiating parties subject to
services and media and new business cases and a dispute resolution process in the event that an
technologies – network operators are handling an agreement cannot be reached.
ever-increasing amount of traffic on their networks.
Reaching an agreement on the terms of transport
This traffic primarily stems from a handful of CAPs,
services would promote sustainable network
which are responsible for more than two thirds of
investment by enhancing the profitability of
global mobile traffic.17
network deployments, thereby making them more
The European Commission’s consideration of appealing to investors. Additionally, fostering
policy measures to ensure the swift resolution traffic efficiency by traffic generators could
of eventual disputes in commercial negotiations further ease pressure on network investments
between parties in the IP interconnection (IP-IC) requirements and help mitigate the environmental
market is a positive step. Such a policy measure impact.

17. 2024 Global Internet Phenomena Report, Sandvine, 2024

Mobile industry enablers 43 / 46

Take a longer-term view on investment and innovation effects
Creating a secure, resilient and technologically markets that require pan-EU scale. This long-term
competitive telecoms industry will require viewpoint is also reflected in the investor feedback
investment. The telecoms industry can only that the Commission refers to in its white paper.18
cope with these high investment needs if there is
It is therefore necessary for the Commission to
sufficient return on the investments, which in turn
initiate a review of the EU Merger Regulation,
can only be achieved if there is enough scale in the
which has not been reviewed for 20 years, in
form of additional customers on the same network.
order to put more emphasis on the long-term
For the mobile economy to achieve the growth
investment viewpoint. This would also enable
expectations outlined in this report, securing this
European telecoms operators to build scale
supportive policy framework is of paramount
through in-market consolidation. Scale is critical to
importance.
foster the significant investment needed to deliver
With the largest investments made in access better outcomes for European consumers, to
networks, economies of scale are first and ensure that European telecoms operators remain
foremost local, making in-market consolidation independent and financially secure and to make
imperative based on long-term investments and sure technological challenges can be addressed. In
innovation effects. Once the necessary scale for addition, addressing barriers to the single market
profitability is achieved, it will become possible could unlock cross-border efficiencies that might
for operators to better compete globally in digital foster cross-border consolidation in the long term.

Establish a pro-investment approach to EU spectrum policy

Spectrum is vital for the telecoms industry. Following the World Radiocommunication
Addressing the risk of financial burden by adopting Conference 2023 (WRC-23), 6 GHz has become
a more investment-friendly and predictable the harmonised future home of mid-band
approach to EU spectrum policy is a main aspect capacity.19 Equipment using 6 GHz has been trialled
of advancing Europe’s digital connectivity and, in other parts of the world, it is already being
objectives. This includes a harmonised approach to added to roadmaps and assigned. 20
spectrum auctions, licensing costs, prolongation of
Progress is also needed on low bands to help drive
licences and identification of future bands.
digital equality. The UHF range, including the 600
All these areas must come together as countries MHz band, requires a deadline during this decade
look to assign more spectrum across low, mid- and for the Commission to put forward proposals
high bands – spectrum that is needed to keep up to reduce barriers to the introduction of mobile
with data demand, increased 5G adoption and the services in interested member states.
advent of future technologies.

Support sustainability efforts of mobile operators

Mobile operators are working on reducing their Policymakers should launch initiatives that can
carbon footprint by optimising network operations, enhance data efficiency through relevant economic
energy consumption and the amount of network signals for bandwidth usage and via efficient
equipment deployed based on actual and timely codecs and data-saving mode by default. They
demands. Policymakers have a role to play in should also extend circular economy principles
supporting these efforts by operators. to network equipment and the EU taxonomy for
green investment in electronic communication
networks, based on robust metrics.

18. White Paper - How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?, European Commission, 2024
19. The Importance of 6 GHz to Mobile Evolution, GSMA, 2024
20. “GSMA hails groundbreaking spectrum decisions at WRC 23”, December 2023

Mobile industry enablers 44 / 46

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