Through these partnerships, the GSMA will work on behalf of the mobile industry to better understand the connectivity needs of these sectors and support the development of advanced connectivity solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and customer experience.

The organisations partnering with the GSMA on these collaborations include the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), Japan Automotive Software Platform and Architecture (JASPAR), Outsight, Safran Passenger Innovations and Seamless Air Alliance. 

This builds on a similar cooperation partnership signed with the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium in October, last year.

Within the GSMA, these activities will be led by GSMA Fusion, the organisation’s recently formed initiative, established to listen directly to the voice of enterprises at an industry level and to identify unmet needs which today’s advanced networks can provide. 

As part of the GSMA Open Gateway, Fusion works with industries such as automotive, aviation, financial services, manufacturing, media and others in order to accelerate demand for 5G API-based and other solutions and to deliver transformative new services for enterprises. 

Mats Granryd, Director General, GSMA, said:

“The partnerships we’re announcing today, through GSMA Fusion, provide strong direction from these industries to ours, helping the mobile ecosystem truly meet the needs of the automotive and aviation sectors and harness the power of mobile connectivity to create innovative solutions that enhance safety, efficiency, and customer experience. When we launched the GSMA Open Gateway initiative at MWC Barcelona two years ago we stated our ambition to unlock the full potential of 5G networks for all industries through universal access and open APIs and the partnership just announced is a step in that direction.”

Aviation Industry: Collaborations with Seamless Air Alliance, Outsight and Safran Passenger Innovations will aim to improve efficiency, safety, and customer satisfaction in the aviation sector. These partnerships will explore the potential of 5G technology to enable in-flight connectivity, real-time aircraft diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and improved flight path optimization. Additional focus areas will be seamless in-flight connectivity and smarter airports with full passenger journey monitoring, with automated check-ins, AR navigation, and better baggage tracking.

Automotive Industry: The GSMA partnerships with 5GAA and JASPAR, in addition to the partnership with AECC, will focus on integrating advanced connectivity to drive innovation in autonomous driving, smart cities, and mobility solutions. By leveraging 5G technology, the automotive sector can enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability, paving the way for the future of transportation.

According to research by McKinsey, GSMA Open Gateway and other network API initiatives can unlock significant value for the telecommunications industry, and businesses using 5G networks over the next five years. It’s forecast that, if operators can expose more of their network APIs and innovations to enterprise developer and cloud provider communities, then they can unlock up to an additional $25 billion market opportunity from the automotive sector and up to $30bn from the travel, transport and logistics sectors by 2030.

GSMA Open Gateway Initiative Accelerates Into 2025

Launched two years ago, the GSMA Open Gateway is an initiative which ensures mobile operators can provide enterprise developers standardised access to a range of network functions used to create applications and services. 

By bringing together operators from around the world, the initiative facilitates the design of digital products that can function seamlessly across all devices, regardless of country or operator. 

This is achieved through unique access points, known as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), which serve as gateways to information about network capabilities. These APIs are available through the CAMARA repository, an open-source project by GSMA and the Linux Foundation.

More than 72 mobile operator groups, representing 284 networks and almost 80% of mobile connections across the world have already signed up to participate in the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, with 52 commercial launches taking place.

In addition to reaching enterprise developers through GSMA Fusion, the organisation has also built a large ecosystem of channel partners and ecosystem partners to help mobile operators commercialise their APIs and reach new sectors. 

More than 35 partners including Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Bridge Alliance, Glide, Infobip, Microsoft, Nokia, Shush and ZTE are now actively working with operators and enterprise developers to launch new digital services.

In the past year, operators around the world from Argentina to China, France and the United Kingdom to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, have commercialised and launched API services to help online banks, fintechs and retailers improve security and tackle online fraud. 

In addition, the mobile industry is now turning its attention to a whole array of new services and innovations, including Quality-on-Demand APIs to enable safe drone flight, robotics, extended reality and immersive online gaming services over 5G networks. 

The roadmap includes further development in connectivity for network slicing, cybersecurity and cloud enablement.

The GSMA will also be showcasing further GSMA Open Gateway and Fusion activity at MWC Barcelona 2025, including the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon on Tuesday March 4th, where Isaac Bess – Global Head of Distribution at TikTok, Mark Smith, Strategic Advisor to IBC and Nick Venezia and Founder of Centillion.ai will be discussing how the telecoms and media industries can work better on identity and verification. 

The GSMA Open Gateway DevCon will take place at Talent Arena, along with the Open Gateway hackathon. Developers will test their projects under realistic conditions on live networks, with access to the latest network APIs. Mobile World Capital is also bringing 180 developers from Paris on a charter flight with Vueling, and 70 developers on a dedicated high-speed train from Madrid with Iryo.

The GSMA will also be showcasing network APIs in practice at the GSMA Open Gateway Zone in Hall 4 demonstrating a range of examples, including a demo from Nokia and Elmo Cars showing how to remotely drive a car in Finland using APIs.

Dr. Maxime Flament, 5GAA CTO, said:

“We are delighted to enter into partnership with GSMA. It will further strengthen our efforts to develop end-to-end solutions for future automotive services. In this respect, we believe GSMA is the best partner to work on global availability of advanced network features for the automotive industry, among which include global APIs, MEC- and QoS-enabled services as well as cross-MNO MEC solutions. We look forward to working closely with GSMA Fusion to make this a reality.”

Kazuhiro Funai, JASPAR Connectivity WG Chair, said:

“With this agreement we believe GSMA will be a great partner for JASPAR’s members and will provide a valuable bridge between the mobility sector and the mobile operators. We believe there are significant opportunities for operators to provide advanced connectivity services to the automotive sector, thereby enabling future services for our industry.”

Raul Bravo, president and founder, Outsight, said:

“At Outsight, we are shaping the future of transportation and mobility by providing real-time spatial intelligence through our 3D Spatial AI solutions. As the global leader in this field, our partnership with the GSMA allows us to seamlessly combine our LiDAR-based software expertise with the power of 5G connectivity. Together, we are unlocking new possibilities for smarter, safer, and more efficient operations in the aviation and automotive sectors, paving the way for transformative innovations that will redefine customer experiences and operational excellence.”John Andrews, VP Connectivity, Safran Passenger Innovations, said: “As a leader in the In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity sector we are excited to be working with GSMA to identify new innovations that can be enabled by advanced mobile networks.” 

Jack Mandala, CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance, said:

“Seamless Air Alliance is excited to strengthen our collaboration with the GSMA as we drive the convergence of satellite and terrestrial services to unlock new levels of convenience for consumers while creating new sources of value for mobile network operators.”

The post GSMA Expands Industry Reach with Partnerships in Automotive, Aviation to Advance 5G Connectivity appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This year, MWC Kigali will bring together powerful innovators and political leaders to explore new opportunities that drive digital growth and accelerate socio-economic development across the continent. 

This edition will feature a range of keynotes and panel sessions, centred around four main themes: Connected Continent, The AI Future, FinTech, and Africa’s Digital DNA.

Recently confirmed speakers include Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar; Amini’s Founder & CEO, Kate Kallot;  the GSMA’s Director General, Mats Granryd; the ITU’s Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin; Lelapa AI’s CEO and Co-founder, Pelonomi Moiloa; MTN Group’s FinTech CEO, Serigne Dioum; Republic of Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Hon. Paula Ingabire; Take Back the Mic’s CEO & Founder, Derrick Ashong and, Wi-Flix’s CEO, Louis Manu.

For the first time in Africa, the GSMA Ministerial Programme will be hosted at MWC Kigali, marking a new chapter in the commitment to advancing the digital agenda in Africa. 

The programme will convene the most influential telecommunications leaders from across the African continent to discuss policy and regulatory topics key to the region.

The Mobile for Development (M4D) team will once again play a central role at the event, driving innovation in digital technology to reduce global inequalities. M4D will host the ‘Mobile for Development Theatre’, a dedicated space for keynote sessions, panels, and discussions.

Themes will range from AI for impact and humanitarian innovation, agriculture and climate, to digital inclusion and gender. Also returning this year is the Mobile Money Leadership Forum, which will explore key trends and innovations in mobile financial services.

The MWC Kigali 2024 keynotes will cover some of Africa’s most pressing digital connectivity issues. Keynote 1 will discuss how digital technologies are driving socio-economic development in Africa to address the continent’s unique challenges. 

Keynote 2 will focus on the transformative potential of AI, including how it can drive sustainable and inclusive growth across Africa. Keynote 3 will see speakers explore the rapid evolution of Africa’s Fintech landscape and the technologies impacting investment opportunities. 

Keynote 4 will explore how the evolving content landscape is allowing African content creators to be heard and celebrated globally. 

An agenda of GSMA Summits will be hosted during the event, inviting industry leaders and policymakers to discover the issues affecting enterprises in areas from network security to diversity in tech: 

• The Security Summit will tackle the most pressing security challenges mobile network operators face today, in the context of a rapidly evolving cyber risk landscape. 
• The Digital Summit will explore the digital economy’s potential in Africa, exploring how digital technologies and policy reform can drive significant socio-economic growth in Africa. 
• The AI Summit will cover both the vast potential and the associated risks of AI technologies in Africa, as the technology’s prevalence grows in the global economy. 
• The 5G Summit will address the barriers preventing the technology’s widespread adoption and ways to unlock its potential for both enterprises and consumers. 
• The Diversity for Tech Summit will focus on the urgent need for greater disability inclusion in Africa’s tech sector, ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. 

MWC Kigali is held alongside the Africa Health Tech Summit and FEWA (Future of Education and Work in Africa), offering an in-depth exploration of connectivity challenges and opportunities in the health and education sectors. 

The programme has gained support from a lineup of sponsors, exhibitors and event partners, including Africa CDC, Africa Union, Huawei, inABLE, MTN, the Republic of Rwanda, Smart Africa and ZTE.

How to Register

To attend the MWC Kigali 2024, visit the website.

The post GSMA MWC Kigali 2024 Returns with Focus on Connectivity in Driving Africa’s Growth appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.