Bharati Airtel’s Gopal Vittal Elected as GSMA Chairman

Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, has been elected as the Chairman of the Board of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). He is the second Indian to hold this prestigious position after Sunil Mittal. Vittal’s tenure will run until the end of 2026. GSMA represents the global telecommunications industry, bringing together over 1,100 companies from the telecom ecosystem worldwide.

Key Points

Election as Chairman

• Gopal Vittal was elected as the GSMA Chairman, succeeding José Maria Álvares-Pallete, who stepped down from the role due to his resignation as CEO of Telefónica.

Acting Chair Role

• Vittal had been serving as the acting chair since February 2025 before being formally elected.

Previous GSMA Involvement

• Before this, he was the Deputy Chair and also served on the GSMA Board for the 2019-2020 term.

Global Telecom Leadership

• GSMA plays a crucial role in unifying the mobile ecosystem, supporting technological advancements, and shaping industry policies worldwide.

Economic Contribution

• The mobile industry contributed $6.5 trillion to the global economy in 2024, highlighting its significance in innovation and digital transformation.

Industry Representation

• GSMA includes telecom operators, handset manufacturers, software firms, equipment providers, and internet companies from various sectors.