Pacific Mobile Communications Contributes $95 Billion to GDP
-Pacific Mobile Communications Contributes $95 Billion to GDP; GSMA Report Shows It Will Reach $14 Trillion by 2030.
New Report Warns: By 2030, 5G Will Cover 50% of Mobile Connections in the Pacific Region, While Fraud Behaviors and Spectrum Costs Will Also Rise
Singapore, July 24, 2025 / PR Newswire / -- GSMA today released its report "Mobile Economy 2025: Asia-Pacific" at the Singapore Digital Nation Summit, showing that mobile technology and services contributed $95 billion to the Pacific economy in 2024, accounting for 5.6% of regional GDP. With the continued push of 5G, IoT, and AI driving digital transformation in the region, this number is expected to reach $14 trillion by 2030.
The mobile ecosystem also supports approximately 16 million jobs (directly employing 11 million people and indirectly supporting 500,000) and generates over $90 billion in government revenue (excluding spectrum and regulatory fees). From 2019 to 2024, operators invested $22 billion in deploying 5G networks and plan to invest an additional $25.4 billion by 2030. However, research suggests that without coordinated efforts, the continued rise of spectrum costs and investment gaps, particularly in rural areas and emerging markets, may hinder future development.
GSMA Asia-Pacific Regional Manager Julian Gorman said:
"Mobile connectivity is the lifeblood of Pacific digital transformation - driving economic growth, technological innovation, and social inclusion. However, research results have sounded the alarm: in the past decade, spectrum fees have risen threefold, with still 48% of the population yet to access the internet. To maintain momentum, we must take decisive action - providing affordable spectrum, intelligent financing schemes, and collective efforts to address fraud and network threats."
The report also reveals increasingly severe network security challenges, with global losses exceeding $1 trillion in 2024 due to fraud. To address this threat, operators have adopted AI-based fraud detection technologies and zero-trust architectures, as well as established specialized working groups. One core initiative is the "ACAST" (Asia-Pacific Cross-Industry Anti-Fraud Working Group) led by GSMA, comprising 16 operators and platforms. GSMA Open Gateway also strengthens anti-fraud protection capabilities through built-in identity verification and security API functions.
"2025 Asia-Pacific Mobile Economy" Key Findings
Economic Impact: $95 billion contribution to regional GDP in 2024; expected to reach $14 trillion by 2030.
GDP Share: 5.6% in 2024, expected to rise to 6.6% by 2030.
Job Support: 1.1 million direct jobs and 500,000 indirect jobs provided in 2024.
Government Revenue: Over $900 billion generated (excluding spectrum and regulatory fees) in 2024.
5G Penetration Rate: 18% of all mobile connections in 2024; expected to rise to 50% by 2030.
Investment Scale: $22 billion invested in deploying 5G networks from 2019 to 2024, with plans to invest an additional $25.4 billion by 2030.
Cost Rise: Spectrum costs and income ratio have risen from 3% in 2014 to 9% in 2023, further compressing available funds for network expansion.