Ghana - Mobile Market - Overview, Statistics & Forecasts

Synopsis

Since launching the first cellular mobile network in sub-Saharan Africa in 1992, Ghana has become one of the continent’s most vibrant mobile markets with now six competing operators, including regional heavyweights such as MTN, Vodafone, Zain and Millicom (Tigo). The recent highly competitive bidding in the privatisation of the country’s two fixed-line operators, which also hold mobile licences, indicates the huge potential that is seen in the market despite the already intense competition. At a market penetration of only just over 50%, opportunity continues to exist in the provision of basic voice services as well as 3G mobile broadband access, given the country’s poorly developed fixed-line infrastructure.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
  
• 2. Overview of Ghana’s mobile market
  
  • 2.1 Mobile statistics
    
• 3. Regulatory issues
  
  • 3.1 Licensing
    
  • 3.2 Tariffs
    
  • 3.3 Interconnect
    
  • 3.4 Taxation
    
  • 3.5 Mobile Number Portability
    
  • 3.6 Infrastructure sharing
    
• 4. Major mobile operators
  
  • 4.1 Vodafone (Ghana Telecom, OneTouch)
    
    • 4.1.1 Network development and coverage
      
    • 4.1.2 Services
      
  • 4.2 MTN Ghana (formerly ScanCom, Spacefon Areeba)
    
    • 4.2.1 Network development and coverage
      
    • 4.2.2 Services
      
    • 4.2.3 Average revenue per user (ARPU)
      
  • 4.3 Millicom Ghana (Mobitel, Tigo)
    
  • 4.4 Kasapa
    
  • 4.5 Zain (Celtel, Westel)
    
  • 4.6 Globacom
    
• 5. Mobile voice services
  
  • 5.1 Prepaid services
    
  • 5.2 Satellite mobile
    
• 6. Mobile data services
  
  • 6.1 Short Message Service (SMS)
    
  • 6.2 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)
    
  • 6.3 GPRS, EDGE, WAP
    
  • 6.4 BlackBerry
    
  • 6.5 Mobile TV
    
• 7. Third generation (3G)
  
• 8. Mobile content and applications
  
  • 8.1 Mobile banking
    
  • 8.2 M-payments
    
• 9. Forecast – mobile market 2012; 2015
  
  • 9.1 Notes on scenario forecasts
    
• 10. Related reports
  

• Table 2 – Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2010
• Table 1 – Mobile subscribers by operator, technology and annual change – March 2009
• Table 3 – MTN Ghana ARPU – 2002 - 2009
• Table 14 – Forecast mobile subscribers – 2012; 2015

• Exhibit 1 – SMS as a weapon against drug counterfeiting