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GSMA Focus [August 2026]
Welcome to our August Edition 👋
And what a month it's been, with new research, industry recognition, plenty happening across our global teams, and some major event updates.
In this edition, we’re celebrating achievements from across the GSMA community, diving into the latest Mobile Economy insights from Asia Pacific and the Caribbean, checking in on our Steptacular Challenge and looking ahead to a packed few months of events.
Let’s dive in ⬇️
Celebrating the People Behind Our Working Groups 🏆
The results are in for the inaugural GSMA Working Groups Recognition Awards!
Our Working Groups bring together expertise from across the mobile ecosystem to tackle shared challenges and help shape the future of the industry. The awards recognise the individuals who go above and beyond – contributing their time, knowledge and ideas to drive that work forward.
Please join us in congratulating our winners:
Meet the 2026 winners and discover their contributions here.
Want to get involved yourself? Learn more about GSMA Working Groups.
A Big Win for Lucrecia! 👏
A special shoutout this month to our Policy Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lucrecia Corvalan , who has won the Tech Diplomacy Award at the Women in Tech LATAM Awards 2026!
The award recognises Lucrecia’s work at the intersection of technology and policy across Latin America, building bridges between governments and industry.
With 1,000 nominees, 45 finalists and just nine winners, it's a brilliant achievement and very well deserved. Congratulations, Lucrecia! 👏
You can find out more about the awards, their impact and all of this year's winners here.
Two Regions, Two New Mobile Economy Reports 🌎
What’s next for mobile across Asia Pacific and the Caribbean? Two of our latest Mobile Economy reports take a closer look.
📈 The Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2026
Mobile technologies and services contributed $1 trillion to Asia Pacific’s economy in 2025 – equivalent to 5.9% of regional GDP – and that contribution is forecast to reach $1.4 trillion by 2030.
The report explores the trends driving that growth, from 5G connections, which are expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2030, to the growing role of AI, digital trust, GSMA Open Gateway and sustainability.
Explore the full report here.
📊 The Mobile Economy Caribbean 2026
Across the Caribbean, mobile contributed $21 billion to the economy in 2025, equivalent to 8.1% of GDP, with that contribution forecast to reach $23 billion by 2030.
AI is also gaining momentum, with 38% of operators in the Caribbean having launched at least one AI tool. The report explores this alongside 5G adoption, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, sustainability, and more.
Download the full report for all the insights.
Stepping Up Across the GSMA 👟
The GSMA Steptacular Challenge is back for its sixth year.
Recommended by LinkedIn
For 27 days, colleagues across our global offices are getting moving, tracking their progress and encouraging each other along the way – whether that means walking, running or finding their own way to clock up the steps.
It's more than just a step challenge. It's a fun way to stay active, prioritise wellbeing, build healthy habits and bring colleagues together through a shared goal.
Keep it up, everyone – there are still plenty more steps to come!
Meet Our Newest GSMA Members ✨
We look forward to working with Apkudo | Cavero Quantum | Hopae | Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation | Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission | Mobilesquared Ltd | Moov Africa Burkina | net2chain | NICT | SLC Digital | Spartified | Digicom | VodafoneZiggo | wilhelm.tel
You can find out more about GSMA Membership opportunities by visiting our website.
Events: What's Coming Up Next? 📅
There’s plenty happening across the GSMA events calendar, with two events taking place this month and some major updates from MWC Doha and MWC Barcelona.
🇲🇾 M360 ASEAN | 9–10 September
It’s almost time! M360 ASEAN 2026 takes place in Kuala Lumpur next week, bringing together ministers, regulators, operator CEOs, technology leaders and investors to explore the future of ASEAN’s digital economy.
Last chance to secure your free pass.
🇺🇸 Nova Future Summit | 28–30 September
The countdown is also on for our inaugural Nova Future Summit.
Later this month, 500 leaders from across tech, telecoms and business will come together in Napa for three days of strategic discussion and connection focused on what’s next for the intelligence ecosystem.
It’s invite-only, so this is your last chance to request your place.
🇶🇦 MWC26 Doha | 8–10 November
Some big news for MWC26 Doha: this November, the event will co-locate alongside the International Telecommunication Union Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26).
An audience of digital leaders from up to 194 Member States, alongside enterprise technology leaders and buyers, will have access to the MWC showfloor and stages. Not only that, telco strategy will be decided at PP-26 through to 2030 – a milestone year for national visions around the GCC and MENA.
You can read the full announcement here.
🌍 MWC27 Barcelona | 1–4 March 2027
The road to MWC27 Barcelona has officially begun – and August brought plenty of updates.
🎤 Call for Speakers is now open: Got something to share with the world? Applications are open until 5 November 2026, with opportunities spanning presentations, panels, demos, moderation and fireside chats.
💡 Six thought leadership themes revealed: Networks Reinvented, AI in Action, Autonomous Enterprise, AI of Tomorrow, Trust at Scale and The Next Era will shape the conversations.
🚀 4YFN Awards: Submissions for the next edition are now open, giving emerging startups another opportunity to put their innovations on a global stage.
Follow our official MWC Barcelona and 4YFN pages for all the latest news and updates.
Latest GSMA Insights: Reports, News, Blogs & Beyond 🔎
For all the latest in-depth reports, articles, blogs, press releases and video content, visit our Discover page – your go-to database of industry resources.
A packed edition. Between the new Mobile Economy reports, MWC and M360 updates, and the focus on industry contributors, there's a lot here for anyone following how the global mobile ecosystem is evolving. Pooja Sivakumar | SMARTBRIDGE KONNEXIONS PVT LTD A Technology - Telecom Innovation & Growth Collaboration Enabler