For years, the main goal of digital development was simple: connect people to the internet. Governments invested in infrastructure, mobile operators built new base stations, regulators allocated spectrum, and international organizations tracked coverage rates. The assumption was straightforward. Once people had access to the internet, the digital economy would grow on its own.
The latest GSMA Mobile Economy Eurasia 2026 report suggests that the region is now facing a very different challenge. The internet is already there. The users are not.
The most striking figure in the report looks almost counterintuitive. The mobile internet coverage gap across Eurasia stands at just 3%, while the usage gap reaches 29%. In other words, millions of people live in areas with mobile internet coverage and could go online at any time, yet they remain outside the digital economy. Eurasia is gradually moving out of the era of infrastructure shortages and into an era defined by a shortage of digital users.
By the end of 2024, around 68% of the region’s population actively used mobile internet. Another 29% lived within network coverage but did not use mobile internet services. Only 3% of the population remained completely outside coverage areas. These numbers change the way digital development should be viewed. The central issue is no longer building networks. The real challenge is getting people to use them.
At first glance, the difference between coverage and usage may look like a technical telecom metric. In reality, it is a much larger economic issue. In 2025, the mobile ecosystem generated $270 billion in economic value across Eurasia, equal to 8.1% of regional GDP. What matters even more is where that value came from. Roughly $220 billion was linked to productivity gains across the wider economy, not from the telecom sector itself.
This means that mobile networks are no longer just communication infrastructure. They have become part of the economic foundation that supports growth across industries. Banking services, government platforms, e-commerce, digital payments, cloud solutions, and business management tools all depend on people actively participating in the digital world. Every group that remains disconnected from digital services reduces the return on investments that have already been made.
What makes the situation even more interesting is that network coverage continues to expand faster than user adoption. Each new stage of digital development is becoming more difficult than the previous one. Building a base station is relatively straightforward. Changing the habits of millions of people is not.
The report highlights several reasons behind this gap. One is affordability. Even when mobile internet is available, not everyone can afford a device capable of fully using modern digital services. Another factor is digital skills. Using online government services, mobile banking apps, digital payment platforms, or cloud-based tools requires a certain level of confidence and knowledge. A third factor is trust. For many people, the digital environment still raises concerns about security, privacy, and online transactions.
This is one reason why the role of mobile operators is changing. In the past, their main job was to build networks and provide connectivity. Today that is no longer enough. Operators are increasingly developing financial services, payment solutions, digital platforms, and business tools. Their goal is not simply to connect users to the network but to make them active participants in a broader digital ecosystem.
The shift is also visible in the industry’s revenue structure. Across many Eurasian markets, digital services are growing faster than traditional telecom offerings. For operators, these services have become an important source of growth at a time when competition remains intense, investment requirements are high, and profitability is under pressure. The more actively customers engage with digital ecosystems, the greater their value becomes.
This trend is becoming even more important as the region moves toward 5G. According to GSMA forecasts, around 30% of all mobile connections in Eurasia will run on 5G networks by 2030. Yet the biggest economic benefits of 5G will not come from faster internet speeds alone. Most of the value will be created outside the telecom industry itself. Services, manufacturing, construction, real estate, and government activities are expected to generate the largest gains. In other words, 5G is less about connectivity and more about productivity.
Still, even the most advanced networks cannot create economic value on their own. They need people, businesses, and institutions that are ready to use them. This is where Eurasia’s biggest digital paradox emerges. The region continues to invest heavily in infrastructure, but the main bottleneck is gradually shifting toward human capital. Access is no longer the primary challenge. Adoption is.
This finding becomes even more important against the backdrop of slower economic growth. According to GSMA, economic growth across Eurasia slowed to 1.7% in 2025. In such an environment, digitalization remains one of the few reliable ways to increase productivity without significantly expanding physical resources. As a result, participation in the digital economy is no longer just a technology issue. It is increasingly becoming a question of long-term economic growth.
Perhaps the most important conclusion of the report is that digital progress can no longer be measured solely by the number of base stations, the size of network coverage, or mobile internet speeds. These indicators still matter, but they do not fully capture how ready an economy is for digital transformation. What matters more is how many people actually use digital tools and how much economic value that usage creates.
For the past two decades, Eurasian countries focused on connecting people to the internet. According to GSMA, that mission is largely complete. The next challenge is far more complex. It is no longer about connecting people to networks. It is about connecting people to the digital economy itself. The success of that effort will determine whether mobile infrastructure becomes a true engine of economic growth or simply remains a network waiting to be used.
Alen Serik, expert of the portal EconomyKZ.org
