The Africa Group of Six (G6) – a coalition of African mobile network operators – says that while they have made considerable progress in their collective goal to expand mobile coverage in sub-Saharan Africa, 60% of people who live in covered areas can't afford handsets to use mobile services.
The G6 – which comprises Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange, and Vodacom – met on Monday at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona with key stakeholders from the telecoms industry, global institutions, and the public sector to assess progress in driving digital transformation across the continent, reinforce commitments, and outline strategic actions going forward.
Much of the focus of the discussion was on handset affordability, which the G6 says is largely responsible for the 60% usage gap, which represents 710 million people who live within network coverage but aren't subscribing to mobile services because even low-end smartphones remain too expensive for them.
G6 operators said that they had made good progress in areas such as pushing for fiscal policy reforms – for example, by convincing the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to expand its report on lowering taxes on low-end smartphones to cover 52 African nations.
The G6 also said it has been engaging with the World Bank Group, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, to enhance access to affordable internet-enabled devices. The group has also developed regulatory principles for fair contributions from large traffic originators and non-terrestrial networks (e.g., satellites) to ensure a more balanced digital ecosystem that enables economic resilience and inclusion.
Looking ahead, the G6 intends to focus on advocating for policies that will make mobile devices and services more affordable, such as eliminating sector-specific taxes on low-end smart devices and mobile money usage.
The G6 said it will also strengthen its collaboration with finance ministries, the World Bank and the IMF to highlight the mobile industry’s impact on economic growth. It will also push for regulatory frameworks that attract equitable investment and partnerships to close the coverage gap, and encourage infrastructure sharing across digital ecosystem players.
The G6 also reported at the meeting that it has aligned with initiatives such as Mission 300, spearheaded by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank (AfDB), to expand electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. It has produced a report outlining pathways for telcos to integrate green energy solutions into their operations, particularly in off-grid and underserved areas.
