GSMA: European mobile operators lead in renewable energy

Global mobile operators are making strong progress in maximising the use of renewable energy in their networks, according to new figures from GSMA.

However, a survey indicates that access to an additional 64 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable electricity – roughly equivalent to Austria’s annual energy usage – will be required by operators globally by 2030, as they seek to decarbonise their energy supplies. These requirements were detailed in the recent GSMA Access to Renewable Energy Policy Paper.

The new analysis released by the GSMA today, using data from 33 operators, covering 86 countries and approximately 50% of global mobile connections, shows tangible results, with renewable electricity use increasing across the mobile sector:

1. European networks are leading globally, purchasing on average 71% renewable energy.
2. Mobile networks in 41 of the 86 countries surveyed use more than 75% renewable energy
3. Mobile networks in 29 of the 86 countries use less than 25% renewable energy
4. 32% of renewable used by operators is procured through power purchase agreements with energy generators
5. 63% is achieved via renewable energy certificates from electricity markets
6. 4% results from self-generation of renewable electricity

The figures show that operators in Europe and North America have been able to both access and scale up the amount of renewable electricity used to power their networks in recent years. In contrast, accessing renewable electricity is still a challenge in many countries, shown by lower market-based regional figures across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.

John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, said: “Operators are making meaningful progress in the use of renewables to power communications networks. However, given the scale of demand, the GSMA calls for greater collaboration between the private and public sector to expand the renewable energy infrastructure needed to hit our net zero ambitions. This will require reducing regulatory barriers, supporting market-based mechanisms to access renewable electricity and incentivising investment in new renewable power generation.”

https://www.gsma.com/betterfuture/resources/mobile-industry-position-paper-access-to-renewable-energy

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GSMA elects Board of Directors

José María Álvarez-Pallete López, CEO of Telefónica Group, has been appointed as Chair of GSMA's Board of Directors. Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel Group, was named Deputy Chair. 

The GSMA elected the following Board of Directors for the 2023-2024 term (in alphabetical order):

• Carlos M. Jarque, Executive Director, International Relations, Government & Corporate Affairs, América Móvil Group
• Igal Elbaz, Senior Vice President, Network CTO, AT&T Group
• Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, CEO Telecommunications Business & Joint Acting Group CEO, Axiata Group BhD
• Gopal Vittal, CEO, Bharti Airtel Group
• Gao Tonqing, Executive Vice President, China Mobile Communications Group
• Li Jun, Executive Vice President, China Telecom Group
• China Unicom
• Dominique Leroy, Board Member for Europe, Deutsche Telekom Group
• Hatem Dowidar, Group CEO, e& Group
• Frehiwot Tamru, CEO, Ethio Telecom
• Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA
• Makoto Takahashi, President and Group CEO, KDDI
• Hyeonmo Ku, President & CEO, KT
• Jens Schulte-Bokum, COO, MTN Group
• Michaël Trabbia, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer, Orange Group
• Mathew Oommen, President & Member of Board of Directors, Reliance Jio
• Yuen Kuan Moon, Group CEO, Singtel
• Olayan M. Alwetaid, Group CEO, STC
• Roberto Daniel Nobile, CEO, Telecom Argentina SA
• Pietro Labriola, Group CEO and General Manager, Telecom Italia
• José María Álvarez-Pallete López, CEO, Telefónica Group
• Sigve Brekke, President and Group CEO, Telenor
• Vicki Brady, Group CEO, Telstra
• Kaan Terzioğlu, Group CEO, Veon
• Rima Qureshi, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Verizon
• Ahmed Essam, CEO, Vodafone UK, Vodafone Group

“The industry is at a pivotal point at the moment and I am very excited to work with the Board as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead.  It is more important than ever that we work together to ensure that the true potential of the mobile ecosystem benefits people, businesses and society as a whole”, said GSMA Director General, Mats Granryd. He added that “we are delighted to welcome the new and re-elected Board members and we thank the outgoing GSMA Board members for their exceptional support”.

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-elects-new-board-members-and-announces-jose-maria-alvarez-pallete-lopez-as-chair/

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Nokia's SaaS iSIM Secure Connect gains GSMA certification

Nokia's iSIM Secure Connect solution has been accredited under the GSMA’s Security Accreditation Scheme (SAS), which confirms the quality and capabilities of security and privacy policies, procedures, and controls that play an important role in supporting additional certifications in compliance with other external standards, like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001, System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2, and Cloud Security Alliance. With the GSMA accreditation in hand, Nokia will now pursue those additional certifications for its other SaaS services later this year and into 2023.

GSMA’s SAS is typically required as the necessary security grade by CSPs globally, so reaching this significant milestone gives operators and enterprises a high degree of confidence of using Nokia iSIM Secure Connect in a SaaS delivery model.

iSIM, or integrated SIM, Secure Connect, through a SaaS delivery model, manages machine-to-machine and consumer device subscriptions for embedded SIM, or, eSIM- and iSIM-enabled devices. iSIM Secure Connect gives control to automate the entire eSIM/iSIM profile lifecycle management process; enables CSPs and enterprises to quickly onboard and manage connected devices at massive scale; and opens opportunities to monetize services linked to trusted digital identities.

Since November 2021, Nokia has introduced seven SaaS services, including iSIM Secure Connect, NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome, Nokia Home Device Management, and Nokia AVA NWDAF, which enhances network operations with AI/ML driven closed-loop automation.

https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2022/08/23/nokia-saas-services-strengthened-with-key-gsma-security-accreditation/

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GSMA confirms Barcelona will host MWC at least until 2030

GSMA confirmed its intention to host the annual MWC event in Barcelona until at least 2030.

Since a change in location from Cannes to Barcelona sixteen years ago the GSMA has grown MWC to a show where more than 109,000 global visitors attended in 2019.

In a statement, GSMA Ltd CEO John Hoffman pointed to Barcelona’s role as more than just the host city of MWC. “We’ve not just grown the event since our move to Barcelona but evolved it to include an entire ecosystem,” he noted.

https://www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/home-banner/mwc-to-stay-in-barcelona-through-2030

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GSMA: Mobile operators commit to greenhouse gas reductions

The number of mobile operators committed to rapid emissions cuts has increased by more than 50% over the last year, according to GSMA's new 2022 Mobile Net Zero Report.

GSMA finds 49 operators representing 62% of the industry by revenue have now committed to rapidly cutting emissions over the next decade. This represents an increase of 18 operators since 2020, despite the challenges of Covid-19. In addition, 50% of mobile network operators by revenue have now committed to net-zero targets by 2050 or earlier.

Despite double-digit growth in data traffic and the global expansion of 5G networks, the report shows that operators successfully limited increases in carbon emissions to 2% on average in 2021. Investment in more energy-efficient network equipment and lower-carbon energy sources helped industry players limit their carbon impact, even as networks grew significantly to meet consumer demand.

GSMA’s Director General Mats Granryd said, “We are proud that the mobile industry continues to align around the 1.5C decarbonization pathway, even in the face of double-digit growth in demand for mobile services. We have far more to do to achieve our net zero ambitions, but mobile will undeniably play an essential role in helping industries and individuals across the globe reduce their carbon impact. The connected solutions we underpin, such as remote working, IoT and automation, are key enablers in reducing travel, cutting emissions in other industries and transitioning to a lower carbon future. We also take our responsibilities seriously, with greater disclosure and strict targets to reduce our own emissions, as we show in our annual Mobile Net Zero report.”

https://www.gsma.com/betterfuture/resources/mobile-net-zero-state-of-the-industry-on-climate-action-2022-report

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Telefónica’s CEO elected chair of GSMA

José María Álvarez-Pallete, chairman and CEO of Telefónica, has been elected Board Chair of GSMA. He will serve through December 2022. Orange Group’s Stéphane Richard vacates the role after three years’ service.

As Board Chair, Mr Álvarez-Pallete will oversee the strategic direction of the GSMA, with the support of Board Deputy Chair, Rima Qureshi, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Verizon. The GSMA Board comprises the world’s largest operator groups and smaller independent operators with global reach.

“We very much appreciate the support and guidance that Stéphane provided during his term. His leadership was steady and supportive throughout a challenging period,” said Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA. “As we look forward, we remain committed to our vision to unlock the power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. It is with great pleasure that we welcome José María as he joins us to support that vision for the coming year.”

“I’m very proud to join the GSMA as Chairman of the Board, representing the global mobile ecosystem. Technologies like 5G, edge computing, cloud, cybersecurity, AI and IoT, have redefined the way society operates and interacts online, paving the way towards metaverse, web3 and a new digital era”, said Telefónica’s Chairman and CEO, José María Álvarez-Pallete. “However, increased digitisation must include responsible leadership to drive growth, job creation, sustainability, and accelerate digital inclusion. I look forward to supporting the GSMA drive these critical issues, and many others, with the GSMA Board.”

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-board-elects-new-chair/

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GSMA: Aircraft altimeters and 3.5 GHz 5G services

Some 60 countries already have live 5G deployments in 3.5 GHz with no instances of interference between 5G and altimeters to date, according to the GSMA. In a press statement, GSMA states that the technical information being used by the U.S. FAA and airlines to generate concern "shows improbable worst-case scenarios."

GSMA also notes that the mobile industry has a long and proven track record of working with national governments and international bodies to ensure co-existence with other spectrum users. 

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/blog/close-collaboration-can-provide-a-clear-flight-path-for-5g-and-avionics/

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GSMA forms 5G mmWave Accelerator Initiative

The GSMA has formed a global accelerator initiative to drive awareness of 5G mmWave technology. 

The operators, China Unicom, NTT DOCOMO, Telstra, TIM and, Verizon, and vendors Ericsson and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. will share mmWave intelligence, best practices and use cases to educate and inspire stakeholders around the world (companies listed in alphabetical order). The accelerator initiative aims to underline the role that mmWave plays in unlocking the full potential of 5G.

“We’re excited to be assisting our members and partners in unlocking the huge potential of 5G, of which mmWave is a key element. This GSMA accelerator initiative, will demonstrate what harnessing 5G mmWave can achieve and inspire others as to its many benefits,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA.

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-announces-formation-of-5g-mmwave-accelerator-initiative-as-part-of-continued-5g-global-support/

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GSMA: Mobile broadband gap for 43% of world's population

Mobile internet usage translates to just over 4 billion connected people,  225 million more compared to 2019, and up from a third of people globally just six years ago, according to GSMA's State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2021.

However, in 2020, 3.4 billion people (43% of the world’s population) lived within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but were not accessing mobile internet services. The GSMA report also notes that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) now account for almost 93% of the world’s unconnected population and more than 98% of the uncovered population.

“The COVID-19 pandemic made clear the importance of mobile internet access to people’s lives and livelihoods and has accelerated the digital transformation around the world. Mobile  is the primary and often the only way to access the internet in low- and middle-income countries. While more people than ever are now using the mobile internet, some fundamental barriers stop far too many people from using mobile internet. To close this usage gap, all of us – government and industry – need to do more,” says the GSMA’s Chief Regulatory Officer, John Giusti. “In particular, we must address the key barriers to usage of mobile internet services, most notably literacy and digital skills, as well as affordability. Only through targeted and collaborative action can we bridge the digital divide.”

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/over-half-worlds-population-now-using-mobile-internet/

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GSMA calls on regulators to open more 5G spectrum

The GSMA is calling on national telecoms regulators to make an average of 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum available in the 2025-2030 time frame to guarantee the IMT-2020 requirements for 5G.  Without the additional spectrum, GSMA believes it will be impossible to realise the full potential of 5G in some cases. In others, the number of antennas and base stations needed will lead to higher carbon emissions and consumer prices. 

The GSMA is also asking regulators to:

Carefully consider 5G spectrum demands when 5G usage increases and advanced use cases will carry additional needs;

Base spectrum decisions on real-world factors including, population density and extent of fibre rollout; and

Support harmonised mid-band 5G spectrum (e.g., within the 3.5 GHz, 4.8 GHz and 6 GHz ranges) and facilitate technology upgrades in existing bands.

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-calls-for-2-ghz-of-mid-band-spectrum-to-meet-un-targets/

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GSMA arranges international travel entry to Spain for MWC21 BARCELONA

Current COVID 19 travel restrictions prohibit entry to Spain for non EU citizens, with the exception of "highly qualified workers."

GSMA has now arranged with the Spanish government to allow all MWC21 Barcelona registrants – including exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, and partners – to enter Spain to attend the in-person event based on this classification.

MWC Barcelona is slated for 28 JUNE – 01 JULY 2021.

John Hoffman, CEO GSMA Ltd, said: “The health and safety of everyone involved in MWC Barcelona, both in Spain and beyond, continues to be our utmost priority as we navigate rapidly shifting circumstances. This decision is a resounding vote of confidence in the careful planning undertaken to date, and our strong partnership with the Host City Parties. We will continue to work closely with our partners to deliver a safe and enjoyable experience.”

The GSMA will share details of MWC21 Barcelona registrants with Spanish authorities to facilitate entry into the country. This shift allows entry to those registrants who are currently denied entry, including those from China and the USA, to enter Spain for the purposes of attending and doing business at MWC21.

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-announces-international-travel-authorisation-for-mwc21-barcelona/

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MWC Barcelona rescheduled for June 28

 Mobile World Congress Barcelona has been rescheduled for June 28th to July 1st, 2021.

The dates for Mobile World Congress Shanghai have been moved ahead to February 23-25, 2021.

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA said: “With a continuously changing global outlook and following consultation with our board and membership and our top exhibitors, we have taken the careful decision to reschedule MWC21 Shanghai in February, and MWC21 Barcelona in June. The health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, staff and the people of Barcelona are of paramount importance.”

Pau Relat, President of Governing board of Fira de Barcelona, said: “We fully support the GSMA’s decision to reschedule the dates for MWC Barcelona and are deeply committed to making the best possible 2021 edition with an extraordinary participation of companies and visitors. The long-standing partnership between the MWC, Fira and the city of Barcelona has been a very successful one for everyone, and I’m sure it will continue to be so in the future.”

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GSMA advances its Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme

Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and ZTE, have successfully completed an assessment of their product development and lifecycle management processes using the GSMA’s Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme (NESAS), which provides a security assurance framework to improve security levels across the mobile industry.

The NESAS scheme is a collaboration and jointly led by 3GPP and the GSMA, and is open to all vendors of network equipment products that support 3GPP defined functions.

“The GSMA recognises the support and participation of Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia and ZTE who have satisfied the scheme’s security requirements via an independent security audit and we congratulate them on achieving this important first step,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “By committing to NESAS, vendors are helping network operators, and other stakeholders make informed decisions about secure product development. We look forward to others participating in the scheme, evidencing their commitment to good security practice by promoting a security-by-design culture within the industry.”

During the second stage of NESAS, vendors will submit network equipment products to qualified test laboratories for evaluation. This stage involves laboratories running security tests, defined by 3GPP, and checking that the products undergoing evaluation have been developed under the assessed development and lifecycle management processes. The evaluation concludes with the production, by the test laboratory, of a valuation report that records the test results. The report is provided to the vendor who can make it available to its customers and other stakeholders at its discretion.

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-announces-progress-on-network-equipment-security-assurance-scheme/

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GSMA cancels MWC Los Angeles 2020

GSMA officially canceled MWC Los Angeles 2020, which had been scheduled for October 28-30, 2020.

"As a world-class event organiser, we have continued to watch the global trajectory of COVID-19, staying up-to-date with governments and health experts. Last February, in recognition of emerging global circumstances hosting MWC Barcelona, was impossible. Today, in light of current government guidance, continued global concern regarding the spread and containment of COVID-19, travel restrictions and other circumstances, and in consultation with our partner, CTIA, the GSMA announced that continuing with MWC Los Angeles 2020 is likewise, impossible.

While we are disappointed to cancel this event, health and safety remain our top priority, and we will not do anything that could impede or reverse gains made around the world. We are thankful for the medical community, essential workers and those working to eliminate this virus.

We look forward to continuing to engage in North America throughout the year and in the build-up to MWC Los Angeles 2021."

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GSMA and O-RAN Alliance announce 5G Collaboration

The GSMA will support the O-RAN Alliance's efforts to accelerate the adoption of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions that take advantage of new open virtualised architectures, software and hardware.

The organisations announced a collaboration to harmonise the open networking ecosystem and agree on an industry roadmap for network solutions, thereby making access networks as open and flexible as possible for new market entrants.

In its latest Mobile Economy Report, the GSMA predicts that operators will invest more than a trillion dollars over the next five years globally to serve both consumer and enterprise customers, 80 per cent of which will be on 5G networks.

“When 5G reaches its potential, it will become the first generation of mobile networks to have a bigger impact on enterprises than consumers,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “In the enterprise sector alone, we forecast $700 billion worth of economic value to be created by the 5G opportunity. The growth of the open networking ecosystem will be essential to meeting enterprise coverage and services needs in the 5G era.”

The GSMA and O-RAN ALLIANCE collaboration complements the recently announced interworking between the GSMA and Telecom Infra Project (TIP), and the O-RAN ALLIANCE and TIP. The goal for these collaborations is to help avoid fragmentation and accelerate the successful evolution of the industry towards a more intelligent, open, virtualised and fully interoperable RAN.

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MWC Shanghai 2020 is cancelled

The GSMA decided to cancel MWC Shanghai 2020, which was originally scheduled for June 30 to July 2, due to the global pandemic.

The GSMA hopes to find a suitable date and venue to hold regional conferences in China in the latter half of 2020.

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GSMA condemns attacks against mobile masts in the UK

The GSMA issued a statement condemning recent arson attacks in the UK on mobile masts. UK media reported fires in Birmingham, Belfast and Merseyside, and 5G cited conspiracy theories circulating on social media.

“The telecoms industry is working around the clock to keep vital health, education and emergency services online, businesses running, and friends and families connected,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, the global communications industry body. “It is deplorable that critical communications infrastructure is being attacked based on outright mistruths. We urge everyone to trust health authorities and rest assured communications technology is safe. There is no link between 5G and COVID-19.”

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GSMA leads Telco Edge Cloud initiative

GSMA is leading an industry effort to develop Telco Edge Cloud capabilities. The platform to be developed in 2020, will make local operator assets and capabilities, such as latency, compute and storage available to application developers and software vendors enabling them to fulfill the needs of enterprise clients.

China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, EE, KDDI, Orange, Singtel, SK Telecom, Telefonica and TIM are backing the initiative.

Objectives of the Edge Compute architectural framework and reference platform:

• Be open and inclusive
• Provide data protection and sovereignty mechanisms
• Offer carrier-grade reliability, security, trustworthiness
• Leverage existing technology solutions; as appropriate, including, but not limited to, aggregation platform solutions such as MobiledgeX, or the interconnection mechanisms developed as part of the GSMA MultiOperator MEC experience.

“Operators are very well placed to provide capabilities such as low latency through their network assets,” said Alex Sinclair, CTO at GSMA. “It is essential for enterprises to be able to reach all of their customers from the edge of any network. Based on the GSMA Operator Platform Specification, Telco Edge Cloud will provide enterprise developers and aggregators with a consistent way to reach connected customers.”

“Edge cloud will build a unified network edge ecosystem, providing diversified and customised products and services, and multiple platform capabilities. It will also realise more extensive boundary-crossing cooperation to meet the requirements of digital transformation of various vertical industries,” said Xiongyan Tang, the Chief Scientist of China Unicom Network Technology Research Institute and the Chief Architect of China Unicom Intelligent Network Center, China Unicom.

“Edge Cloud has an exciting potential to enable and enhance many innovative experiences for our customers. I welcome this operator initiative to take ownership of the edge opportunity by joining forces to deliver our capabilities in a federated edge service,” said Claudia Nemat, Board Member Technology & Innovation at Deutsche Telekom. “Leveraging MobiledgeX as platform partner and aggregator in the federation puts operators on the best track to create scale, bring in the developer community and make a market impact.”

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GSMA officially cancels Mobile World Congress 2020

GSMA officially canceled Mobile World Congress 2020 in Barcelona due to the threat from the coronavirus.

John Hoffman, CEO GSMA Limited, states: "With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event."

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/gsma-statement-on-mwc-barcelona-2020/

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GSMA's 3rd Coronavirus update: MWC remains on track

On Thursday, GSMA issued its 3rd bulletin in a week concerning the coronavirus, saying that it continues to monitor the situation and there remains minimal impact on MWC Barcelona 2020 thus far.

MWC Barcelona 24-27 February 2020, will proceed as planned, across all venues at Fira Gran Via Fira Montjuïc and La Farga L’Hospitalet, including YoMo and Four Years From Now (4YFN).

https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/statement/gsma-update-information-on-coronavirus/

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