A new GSMA report predicts the Asia-Pacific mobile industry will contribute US$1.4 trillion to the region’s economy by 2030, highlighting emerging challenges in digital trust, security, and sovereignty while underscoring accelerating investment in 5G and AI infrastructure.
Mobile technologies and services are set to contribute US$1.4 trillion to the Asia-Pacific economy by 2030, up from about US$1 trillion today, according to a new GSMA outlook that says the sector’s next phase of growth will depend on far more than coverage and speed. The trade group said the region’s digital future will increasingly be shaped by artificial intelligence, weaker digital trust, tougher resilience demands and rising interest in digital sovereignty.
GSMA said the latest edition of its Mobile Economy Asia Pacific report was being released ahead of next month’s M360 ASEAN forum in Kuala Lumpur, where ministers, regulators, operators and technology companies are expected to focus on how to build more trusted and durable digital systems. The organisation said governments across the region are confronting online fraud, growing demand for AI infrastructure, geopolitical uncertainty and pressure to keep critical data and services within national or regional control.
The report puts trust at the centre of that debate. GSMA said the share of consumers in ASEAN who reported being scammed rose from 31% in 2024 to 45% in 2025, a jump that underscores the scale of the fraud problem as more everyday activity moves online. It also said operators are investing more heavily in security, fraud prevention and cross-sector co-operation as digital services become more deeply embedded in commerce, public services and personal communications.
Beyond security, the report argues that mobile operators are becoming part of the wider digital infrastructure stack, offering cloud services, AI platforms and enterprise tools alongside connectivity. It said 5G, AI and the internet of things are expected to deliver the biggest productivity gains in manufacturing and services, while digital sovereignty is pushing governments to back local AI capacity, trusted cloud services and secure data environments.
The report also pointed to the scale of investment and opportunity still ahead. GSMA forecast 5G connections will reach 1.5 billion by 2030, or half of all mobile connections in Asia Pacific, and said operators are expected to spend more than US$200 billion in capital expenditure between 2025 and 2030. At the same time, more than 700 million adults remain offline despite living in areas covered by mobile broadband networks, highlighting the gap between infrastructure and actual digital inclusion.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
