The GSMA made Gopal Vittal (pictured) its permanent new chair until the close of the current board term at the end of 2026, after previous head Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete was ruled ineligible to continue in the role.

Bharti Airtel Group CEO Vittal was named acting chair of the GSMA in February to steer the ship during MWC25 Barcelona and give the organisation time to arrange who would follow former Telefonica chief Alvarez-Pallete.

As GSMA chair, Vittal will oversee a period when the industry is shifting to standalone 5G, and looking to employ AI and the organisation’s Open Gateway APIs to fuel revenue growth, the association stated.

Vittal highlighted the sector’s contribution of “$6.5 trillion to the global economy in 2024”, adding it is the “spine on which much of the innovation in the world is built”.

“The GSMA, as a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem, is fundamental to discover, develop and deliver innovation that deliver positive change for all.”

Director general Mats Granryd explained he had a lengthy working relationship with Vittal, whose “knowledge and experience makes him very well positioned to lead the board and industry”.

Vittal has been a GSMA Board member for eight years, serving as deputy chair since 2023.

The GSMA is now readying a replacement deputy chair.

Granryd indicated Vittal’s task is not easy because the industry is wrestling with challenges around how to use AI and “complete 5G” deployments.

The appointment comes as the association sees new director general Vivek Badrinath replace outgoing head Granryd from 1 April.