Nigeria’s selection as one of six African countries participating in a GSMA-led affordable smartphone initiative reflects both the scale of its digital inclusion gap and its outsized role in Africa’s mobile economy, according to the industry body.
The GSMA has chosen Nigeria, alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, for pilot programmes designed to expand access to low-cost 4G smartphones priced at around $40, a threshold seen as critical for unlocking internet access among low-income populations.
The decision places Nigeria at the centre of a continental push by mobile operators and device makers to address what industry stakeholders describe as the “usage gap” in mobile internet adoption, where network coverage exists, but device affordability prevents meaningful access.
The decision places Nigeria at the centre of a continental push by mobile operators and device makers to address what industry stakeholders describe as the “usage gap” in mobile internet adoption, where network coverage exists, but device affordability prevents meaningful access.
Affordable smartphones: Nigeria’s large, underserved mobile internet market
Nigeria, according to GSMA, was selected due to its combination of high mobile network penetration and persistent barriers to smartphone ownership, making it one of the most important test markets for affordability-led digital inclusion strategies.
Over the past decade, telecoms operators have invested heavily in expanding 3G, 4G and emerging 5G infrastructure across the country. However, millions of Nigerians remain offline or under-connected, not because of network unavailability, but because smartphones remain beyond their financial reach.
This structural imbalance is central to the GSMA’s argument that device affordability, rather than coverage, is now the primary constraint on digital inclusion across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Africa’s widest smartphone ownership gap
According to the GSMA, Africa accounts for about 33% of the world’s unconnected population and has the lowest smartphone ownership rate globally, estimated at about 24% in 2024.
The region also records the highest affordability barriers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of a smartphone represented about 26% of monthly GDP per capita in 2024, compared to an average of 16% across low- and middle-income countries.
Nigeria reflects this broader regional pattern, where rising inflation, currency pressures and low disposable incomes continue to limit access to entry-level smartphones despite expanding network coverage.
Why $40 smartphones are the benchmark
The GSMA and its partners argue that smartphones priced at around $40 represent a critical affordability threshold for first-time internet users in low-income communities.
The pilot programme is being implemented through the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, which brings together operators including Airtel, MTN, Orange, Vodacom, Axian Telecom and Ethio Telecom, alongside device manufacturers and financial institutions.
The coalition is working to define minimum specifications for entry-level 4G smartphones, covering key features such as memory, RAM, display quality, battery life and camera performance, aimed at ensuring affordability does not compromise basic usability.
With mobile internet increasingly central to education, financial services, healthcare access, e-commerce and digital public services, Nigeria is seen as a key frontier for scaling digital participation across Africa.
Why Nigeria matters to global telecoms players
Nigeria’s inclusion also reflects its strategic importance to global and regional telecom operators, many of whom already have significant investments in the country’s mobile infrastructure and subscriber base.
With mobile internet increasingly central to education, financial services, healthcare access, e-commerce and digital public services, Nigeria is seen as a key frontier for scaling digital participation across Africa.
The GSMA notes that more than three billion people globally remain offline despite widespread mobile broadband coverage, underscoring the urgency of addressing affordability-driven exclusion.
Industry push to close the usage gap
The pilot programme builds on the broader expansion of the Handset Affordability Coalition, which grew to 25 members by September 2025. The coalition includes mobile operators, device manufacturers, international organisations and philanthropic partners working to reduce device costs.
Its strategies include lowering taxes on entry-level smartphones, reducing manufacturing costs and developing financing models that make devices more accessible to underserved populations.
For Nigeria, the pilot could serve as a test case for whether coordinated industry action on device affordability can significantly expand digital inclusion in markets where infrastructure already exists but access remains uneven.
“Affordable smartphones are the gateway to digital and financial inclusion, economic opportunity and innovation,” Vivek Badrinath, Director-General of the GSMA, said.
He added that the initiative, in partnership with leading African operators, is intended to send a “clear demand signal” to device manufacturers to accelerate production of low-cost 4G smartphones.
A shift in Africa’s connectivity priorities
The GSMA says the focus of the telecom industry is gradually shifting from expanding network coverage to addressing inequality in access and usage of mobile internet services.
In South Africa, operators such as MTN have already begun rolling out low-cost smartphone programmes as part of broader efforts to migrate users away from legacy 2G and 3G networks.
For Nigeria, the pilot could serve as a test case for whether coordinated industry action on device affordability can significantly expand digital inclusion in markets where infrastructure already exists but access remains uneven.
Ultimately, the GSMA argues that closing Africa’s smartphone gap may be the most effective lever for bringing millions of new users online and enabling broader participation in the digital economy.
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