GSMA to launch ₦55,000 4G smartphones in Nigeria and other African countries

GSMA Coalition (G6) has revealed plans to pilot affordable 4G smartphones in Nigeria and five other African countries in 2026. The low-cost 4G devices, priced at approximately ₦55,000 ($40), are targeted at enhancing affordability and bridging digital inclusion.

According to the association on Tuesday, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition, the G6 group of leading African telcos and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). 

The G6 operator members, which include Airtel, Axian Telecom, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange and Vodacom, aim to make low-cost 4G devices to influence the adoption of internet-enabled smartphones in Africa. The initiative builds on the minimum requirements for low-cost 4G devices unveiled at MWC Kigali in 2025. 

Africa has one of the world’s largest mobile internet usage gaps. In 2024, only 38% of its population was online compared to a 68% global average. According to GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2025, about 960 million people in Africa (64% of the population) remain unconnected despite living in areas with coverage, recognising key barriers to device affordability and digital skills.

To bridge the gap, the G6 has noted that affordable 4G smartphones at scale could bring tens of millions of people online. They added that this will unlock access to education, financial services, e-commerce, AI tools and healthcare. 

While reacting to the initiative, Vivek Badrinath, Director General at GSMA, noted that about 3.1 billion people have mobile coverage but are not connected to the mobile internet. He pointed at low-cost smartphones as the “gateway to digital and financial inclusion, economic opportunity and innovation.”

“Together with the G6 group of leading African operators, we are sending a clear demand signal to bring low-cost 4G devices to market,” he added. 

Aside from Nigeria and Rwanda, other pilot African countries for the project are the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda.

Also Read: Smartphone shipments into Africa hit 84.4m in 2025, strongest since 2021.

Affordable smartphones and memory scarcity challenge 

According to Counterpoint Research’s 2026 outlook, global smartphone prices are expected to rise amid chip shortages as manufacturers now prioritise AI data centres over smartphones. 

In its forecast, the research company noted that global smartphone shipments are projected to decline 2.1% in 2026. Also, memory prices could rise another 40% through Q2 2026, resulting in manufacturing costs averaging between 8% and over 15%.

The potential chip scarcity poses a serious challenge for the GSMA’s initiative to roll out ₦55,000 affordable smartphones in Africa. While it becomes unavoidable, the association has urged governments to reduce or eliminate taxes and import duties on entry-level 4G smartphones. 

In addition, it called for collaborations across governments in Africa to bridge the affordability gap, which helps counter the surge in rising material and manufacturing costs.

“In a global context of rising memory costs, governments have an important role in bridging the usage gap. Removing taxes and import duties on entry-level 4G smartphones will be critical to achieving scale,” Vivek said.

In addition, the GSMA-led AI Language Models Initiatives is working on building AI models capable of browsing and translating online content to reduce language barriers to digital services. The initiative will be showcased at this year’s MWC26 in Barcelona. 

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