BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The gap in the use of mobile connection and communications is one of the pressing issues and a priority to be addressed both regionally, and globally, Chief Regulatory Officer (CRO) for the GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) John Giusti said during the “GSMA Mobile 360 Eurasia 2023” conference in Baku, Trend reports.
According to Giusti, 40 percent of the inhabitants of Central Asia and the South Caucasus live in rural areas where access to infrastructure is difficult.
As the CRO noted, the number of mobile data users has tripled in recent years.
He also said that 4G has covered 83 percent of the population of Central Asia, but residents of rural areas use mobile data 23 percent less.
Besides, according to him, mobile communications depend on timely, low-cost access to low-frequency spectrum.
"Over the past 30 years, we have made a lot of achievements, and, for example, 5.5 billion people have a mobile internet connection, but 3.6 percent still do not have access to it," he added.
Brought by the GSMA, the conference features keynote speeches and panel discussions, with a focus on digital resilience for future prosperity, building stronger customer connections, 5G and the future of infrastructure, IoT, AI (artificial intelligence) and Machine Learning, fintech, cybersecurity, and more.
The event convenes experts and decision-makers from Azerbaijan and the Eurasian region, including regulators, and senior executives from the leading mobile operators, and digital corporations.