• Internet access rising, but usage gap persists globally
• Low digital skills hinder online participation
• Women, elderly, rural groups most affected

Fourth and fifth generation (4G and 5G) mobile technologies are projected to account for 75% of total African connections by 2030, a significant increase from 47% in 2024, according to a report released Tuesday, October 14, 2025, by the GSM Association (GSMA).

The report, titled The Mobile Economy Africa 2025, specifies that 4G connections on the continent are expected to rise from 45% of total mobile connections in 2024 to 54% by 2030. 5G is forecast for even faster growth, jumping from 2% of total connections last year to 21% by the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, older technologies are set to decline sharply. 2G, which accounted for 15% of connections last year, is projected to almost disappear, falling to 4% by 2030, while 3G adoption is expected to drop from 37% to 21% over the same period.

$77 Billion Investment to Drive Digital Adoption

This rapid migration to 4G and 5G is primarily driven by accelerating network expansion. The GSMA expects telecom operators to spend approximately $77 billion deploying and modernizing these next-generation networks between 2024 and 2030.

Consequently, mobile internet penetration is forecast to reach 33% by the end of the decade (576 million users), up from 28% in 2024 (416 million users). The number of unique mobile subscribers is projected to reach 915 million (53% of the population) in 2030, increasing from 710 million in 2024 (47% of the population).

Despite these advances and network coverage projected to surpass 90%, nearly half of all Africans will not use mobile services, and 77% will remain unconnected to the mobile internet by 2030. To close this "usage gap," the mobile industry, donors, international organizations, and governments must work together to tackle key adoption barriers such as high device costs and low digital literacy.

Mobile Economy's Growing Impact on GDP

The report highlights that the mobile sector’s total contribution to Africa's economic value added reached $220 billion in 2024, or 7.7% of the continent's GDP. The largest benefits came from the positive effects of mobile technology on productivity, which amounted to $120 billion, with the direct contribution of the sector itself estimated at $60 billion.

By 2030, mobile technology’s contribution to the continent’s economic value added is expected to reach $270 billion, or 7.4% of GDP. This growth will be fueled by productivity and efficiency gains resulting from the wider adoption of high-impact digital technologies like 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Mobile technology is set to benefit most sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa, though some will gain more than others due to their capacity to integrate advanced digital use cases. By 2030, 24% of the economic benefits are expected to go to the services sector (e-commerce, online medical consultations, e-learning), 21% to the industry sector (smart factories, automation, augmented reality), and 20% to agriculture (online weather forecasts, precision irrigation, market information). Public administration is projected to receive 13%, construction and real estate 9%, finance 6%, and the information and communication sector 5%.

The GSMA also noted that the mobile sector makes a substantial fiscal contribution to African states, with over $30 billion collected in various taxes last year. A large portion of this came from VAT on handsets, sales taxes, excises, and customs duties ($12 billion). In 2024, the tax contribution from the entire mobile ecosystem—including operators, infrastructure and equipment companies, and content and services providers—represented 9.8% of the total tax revenue collected on the continent.

Walid Kéfi