OEMs commit to $40 phone rollout in Africa
The Global System for Mobile Telecommunications Association (GSMA) has raised the alarm over rising cases of scams across the globe.

GSMA, which revealed that in 2024, $1 trillion was lost worldwide to scams, lamented that the global scam economy is growing at an alarming rate, and said industry-wide scam prevention is critical.

GSMA, which unites over 1000 mobile operators and businesses across the ecosystem and related industries to advance innovation and reduce inequalities around the world, observed that criminal networks exploit digital and mobile channels to deceive, steal, and manipulate.

Losses exceeded a trillion dollars worldwide in 2024 alone, showing how widespread the problem has become. Beyond financial losses, these attacks erode trust in the digital ecosystem and mobile services, and lead to enormous emotional distress for victims,” it stated.

The telecom advocacy body revealed that 50 per cent of consumers receive scam messages weekly, of which 25 per cent are unknown calls.

These scams, according to GSMA include scam calls, SIM swap fraud, SMS phishing, subscription fraud, branded calling, among others.

Director-General, GSMA, Vivek Badrinath, said over the last five years, scams have grown massively, “they affect more people, occur more often and through more methods. Only by uniting and working together across the digital ecosystem and the financial sector, with the support of public authorities, can we fight such a complex phenomenon. The mobile ecosystem stands ready to do its part, alongside all concerned parties.”

To address this, the GSMA is making scam prevention a shared industry priority. It enables mobile network operators, technology partners, regulators, and financial institutions to join forces to counter scams with practical solutions.

“We do so by providing guidance, resources, and a platform for collaboration to accelerate action against emerging threats,” it stated.

Some of the measures deployed include Scam call detection and blocking; SIM Swap fraud prevention; customer education and awareness campaigns; Smishing detection; subscription fraud prevention, among others.

“Our anti-scam use case library shows how mobile operators and partners are stopping fraud and protecting customers and end-users worldwide. Each use case comes from a GSMA member or industry partner and reflects real-world deployment at scale.

“The library features tools and tactics such as call blocking, SIM swap detection, subscriber education, and branded calling. These examples help operators, tech providers, and regulators find proven approaches that work in practice.” Whether your focus is customer safety, mobile security, or regulatory compliance, this resource supports smarter, faster fraud prevention,” he stated.

In a new development, Head of GSMA Africa, Angela Wamola, said the body has also secured commitments from 18 smartphone manufacturers to support the rollout of a $40 4G smartphone to narrow Africa’s persistent internet usage gap.

The initiative, first launched at MWC Kigali in October 2024, sets out minimum technical specifications for an affordable 4G smartphone tailored to African users.

Since then, the GSMA said it has engaged more than 18 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), with at least eight vendors confirming their commitment and entering commercial negotiations with mobile network operators ahead of pilot deployments this year.

Pilots are expected to begin in major population markets, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania, with additional countries under consideration.

The goal, according to Wamola, is to move from “theoretical specifications into a smartphone in the hands of populations” before the end of the year, proving both commercial viability and real-world utility.