Last updated: 30 Jun 2010 Update History
Report Status: Archived
Report Pages: 339
Analyst: Peter Lange
Publication Overview
The countries covered in this report include: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
This annual report offers a wealth of information on telecommunications infrastructure in 38 African countries, including traditional fixed-line networks, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) systems as well as national and international fibre. Subjects covered include:
Researcher:- Peter Lange
Current publication date:- June 2010 (5th Edition)
Next publication date:- August 2011
Executive Summary
While being the world’s most rapidly growing market for mobile telephony, Africa is also home to some of the fastest growing fixed-line markets in the world. The continent still has some of the world’s lowest penetration rates in both market sectors.
The difficulties of rolling out fixed-line networks across its vast land mass have meant that in mid-2010 mobile users constituted around 90% of all African telephone subscribers. However, as lower income groups are being targeted, a price-sensitive market for lower-cost fixed or limited-mobility services is emerging. A surge in demand for Internet access and broadband capabilities is accelerating this fixed-line renaissance in some of Africa's more advanced markets. Despite reasonable growth of the traditional fixed-line markets in some countries, subscriber access to both voice and data services is shifting more and more to fixed-wireless solutions as a substitute for inadequate fixed-line infrastructure.
For over 50 operators across the continent, CDMA-2000 has been the technology of choice to provide fixed-wireless access. It supports full mobility, and converged licensing regimes are now allowing these operators to also move into the lucrative mobile sector in a growing number of countries.
International submarine fibre optic cables have reached several African countries for the first time in 2009 and 2010 or have brought competition in this sector to an incumbent monopoly provider, with more cables expected to go online in 2011. This has started to revolutionise the market by drastically improving the supply and lowering the cost of international bandwidth. Many countries are rolling out national fibre backbone networks to take the new bandwidth beyond the capital cities to population centres in the interior. However, satellite will continue to play a significant role in reaching Africa's extensive rural and remote areas. Foreign investors are scrambling for positions in this very lucrative market as liberalisation continues, national telcos are being privatised and new operating licenses issued.
Fixed lines in Africa and annual growth – 1999 - 2011
Year |
Fixed lines (thousand) |
Annual growth |
1999 |
8 |
127% |
2000 |
11 |
48% |
2001 |
24 |
111% |
2002 |
35 |
48% |
2003 |
52 |
48% |
2004 |
81 |
55% |
2005 |
134 |
65% |
2006 |
196 |
46% |
2007 |
279 |
42% |
2008 |
379 |
36% |
2009 (e) |
463 |
22% |
2010 (e) |
540 |
17% |
2011 (f) |
600 |
11% |
(Source: BuddeComm based on ITU, company and industry data)
Data in this report is the latest available at the time of preparation and may not be for the current year.
Related Reports
Monitor critical insights with our AI-powered Market Intelligence Platform gathering and analyzing intelligence in real time. With AI trained to spot emerging trends and detect new strategic opportunities, our clients use TMT Intelligence to accelerate their growth.
If you want to know more about it, please see:
BuddeComm's strategic business reports contain a combination of both primary and secondary research statistics, analyses written by our senior analysts supported by a network of experts, industry contacts and researchers from around the world as well as our own scenario forecasts.
For more details, please see:
More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research
Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?
Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.