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The GSMA advanced an affordable handset initiative it is spearheading by agreeing to the first pilot schemes in six African nations.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda agreed to run the first programmes to deliver reasonably priced 4G smartphones, progressing the goals of the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, which the organisation unveiled in 2024.
Pilots are scheduled to begin this year as the GSMA moves to tackle a so-called usage gap, whereby people who live within reach of mobile broadband networks are unable to access services partly due to the cost of smartphones.
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GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath stated the usage gap currently stands at 3.1 billion people globally.
He said the association and G6 African nations are “sending a clear demand signal to bring low-cost 4G devices to market”. Doing so would open the door to digital and financial services, in turn boosting “economic opportunity and innovation”.
The GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition is backed by the World Bank Group, ITU and WEF Edison Alliance, among others. In 2025, Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN Group, Orange and Vodacom Group outlined a set of minimum requirements for affordable entry-level 4G smartphones.
Hitting the $30 to $40 price mark the coalition targets was always a challenging goal, meaning the growing backing for the initiative is a big step forward.
The GSMA highlighted it is important to eliminate taxes and import duties to offset moving goalposts in device costs, with a recent surge in the cost of memory chips proving particularly challenging.
It remains determined to ensure the affordable 4G smartphones have the best processing power possible to ensure a host of Africa-focused AI developments can be brought to fruition.
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