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Mobile economy to reach $11 trillion by 2030, driven by 5G and AI

5G Standalone is forecast to drive 70% of enterprise revenue growth through 2030, presenting a $127 billion opportunity.

Mobile economy to reach $11 trillion by 2030, driven by 5G and AI
[Source photo: GSMA ]

The GSMA has unveiled its Mobile Economy Report 2025 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, offering a glimpse into the future of the mobile economy.

In 2024, mobile technologies and services contributed 5.8% to global GDP, generating $6.5 trillion in economic value. This figure is expected to rise to $11 trillion, or 8.4% of global GDP, by 2030, driven by the widespread adoption of mobile services, 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), all of which will enhance productivity and efficiency.

Certain sectors are poised to see significant gains. Between 2024 and 2030, the economic value generated by mobile technologies in manufacturing is projected to grow by 25%, followed by accommodation and food services at 17% and public administration at 14%.

The report also reveals that by the end of 2024, 58% of the global population—equivalent to 4.7 billion people—were using mobile internet. This number is expected to rise to 5.5 billion, or 64% of the population, by 2030. Meanwhile, 5G connections exceeded two billion by the end of 2024 and are projected to make up 57% of all mobile connections by 2030, overtaking 4G adoption by 2028.

In addition, 5G Standalone is expected to drive 70% of enterprise revenue growth through 2030, creating a $127 billion opportunity. This expansion will be supported by the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, which now includes 72 operator groups and key players in the automotive and aviation industries.

At MWC25, GSMA Director General Mats Granryd underscored the urgency of completing the 5G transition while leveraging AI and Open Gateway APIs. He also highlighted a $3.5 trillion economic opportunity in closing the global mobile usage gap, noting that 3.1 billion people are covered by mobile networks but are not yet using mobile internet.

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