In both the Global North and Global South — and across areas such as health, food or energy — research and innovation funds tend to be spent on technologies that benefit private interests, rather than on those that more directly address social and environmental problems. The research shows that most high-income countries do not prioritise research on the major environmental challenges associated with unsustainable consumption and production patterns.
In fact, your assertion that things like 4G, high density batteries, and tiny low power SoCs, etc. illustrate this well. Those do not specifically help with the issues of sustainability in low income areas. Think of things like sanitation, access to clean water, sustainable food production, etc. Not everything needed for improving quality of life and opportunities has a high-tech solution.