Benin Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Publication Date: December 2023

Report Pages: 145

Lead Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Contributing Analyst: Peter Lange

Contact BuddeComm

Purchase this Report

Summary
Table Of Contents

Benin secures funds to improve national fibre network

Benin’s telecom market continues to be restricted by the poor condition of the country’s fixed-line infrastructure. This has in turn hampered the development of fixed-line voice and internet services, and as a result there is negligible revenue derived from these sectors. Mobile networks account for almost all internet connections, and also carry most voice traffic. As such, it is this sector which is attracting most investment.

There is promise for considerable change in the mobile sector, which has been a duopoly between Moov and MTN since the closure of services from Glo Mobile and Libercom in 2018.

However, progress is being made in developing competition in the mobile sector. The national infrastructure provider SBIN has been licensed to provide mobile services, and in mid-2021 Sonatel Group was awarded a five-year contract to oversee progress. In May 2021 the government sought foreign companies unaffiliated with MTN Group or Maroc Telecom to bid for a fourth mobile licence.

Improved international internet connectivity has contributed to a reduction in end-user pricing, and provided the potential to transform many areas of the country’s economy, bringing a greater proportion of the population into the orbit of internet commerce and connectivity. A 2,000km fibre project started in 2016 was finally completed in mid-2021, prompting the government to secure a loan to build additional fibre infrastructure connecting four of the country’s 12 departments.

Key developments:

Sonatel granted five-year contract to manage the infrastructure provider SBIN and develop mobile services;
Government levies 5% tax on m-money services;
Government initiates process to licence a new MNO, secures $40 million loan to begin a fibre network project covering four departments;
Government launches a national interoperability platform for its smart government (Smart Gouv) program;
MTN Benin extends managed services partnership with Ericsson;
Orange commissions new connection from the ACE submarine cable, connecting Benin with Tenerife;
Report update includes the regulator's market data to December 2021, telcos' operating data to Q1 2022, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

MTN, Moov (Telecel), Libercom, BBCom (Bell Benin), Glo Mobile (Globacom), be.Telecoms (Bénin Télécoms, formerly OPT), Kanakoo (BeninNet), Isocel, EIT, FirstNet, Arts Bobo, Sobiex Informatique, Global Trading Agency, Afripa Telecom, Thuraya, Nitel, Suburban Telecom, CEB.

Key statistics
Regional Africa Market Comparison

Market characteristics
Market Leaders
Market Challengers
Market Emergents
TMI vs GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Telecommunications market

Market analysis

Regulatory environment

Regulatory authority

ARCEP

Fixed network developments

West African common regulatory framework 2005
Ministry of Digital and Digitalisation

Mobile network developments

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Spectrum auction – 2013
Roaming
SIM card registration

Mobile market

Market analysis
Mobile statistics
Mobile infrastructure

4G (LTE)
3G
Other infrastructure developments
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Major mobile operators

MTN Benin (Spacetel Benin, Areeba)
Moov
Libercom (Benin Telecoms)
BBCom (Bell Benin)
Glo Mobile Benin (Globacom)

Mobile content and applications

m-banking
m-payment
m-health

Fixed-line broadband market

Introduction and statistical overview
Broadband statistics
Public Internet Access Locations

Telecentres

Fixed-line broadband technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre broadband networks
Other fixed broadband services
Benin Internet Service Providers Association (AFAIB)
Benin Internet Society

Fixed network operators

be.Telecoms (Bénin Télécoms)

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
CDMA2000 Wireless Local Loop (WLL)
National fibre backbone
Terrestrial fibre

International infrastructure

Submarine fibre
Satellite

Smart infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Benin – 2022 (e)
Table 2 – Telecom market investment by sector (CFA billion) – 2012 – 2020
Table 3 – Development of fixed-line and mobile revenue (CFA billion) – 2012 – 2020
Table 4 – Change in mobile revenue by operator (CFA billion) – 2012 – 2020
Table 5 – Development of mobile market investment – 2012 – 2020
Table 6 – Mobile market investment by operator (CFA million) – 2018 – 2020
Table 7 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 8 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers (thousand) – 2012 – 2021
Table 9 – Change in the mobile market share of subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2021
Table 10 – Increase in mobile data traffic – 2018 – 2021
Table 11 – Decline in SMS traffic – 2012 – 2021
Table 12 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 13 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers by operator (thousand) – 2012 – 2021
Table 14 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2013 – 2027
Table 15 – Change in the number of mobile internet subscribers by platform (million) – 2019 – 2021
Table 16 – Growth in the number of MTN Benin’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 17 – Decline in MTN Benin’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2022
Table 18 – Development of MTN Benin’s financial data (ZAR million) – 2012 – 2021
Table 19 – Growth in the number of Moov’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 20 – Growth in the number of mobile money subscribers by provider (million) – 2016 – 2021
Table 21 – Increase in the value of m-money transactions by provider (CFA million) – 2017 – 2021
Table 22 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2012 – 2021
Table 23 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by technology (thousand) – 2012 – 2021
Table 24 – Change in the market share of fixed internet subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Table 25 – DSL subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 26 – Change in the number of Isocel’s broadband subscribers – 2014 – 2021
Table 27 – Decline in Bénin Télécoms’ revenue – 2012 – 2019
Table 28 – Change in Benin Telecoms’ fixed-line revenue by type (CFA billion) – 2016 – 2019
Table 29 – Development of fixed-line and mobile voice traffic (million minutes) – 2012 – 2021
Table 30 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 31 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service by type – 2012 – 2021
Table 32 – Increase in international internet bandwidth – 2012 – 2020
Table 33 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1999 – 2011
Table 34 – Historic - Internet users and penetration rate – 1999 – 2011
Table 35 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2011
Table 36 – Historic - CDMA broadband subscribers – 2009 – 2016
Table 37 – Historic - Fixed-line and mobile revenue (CFA billion) – 2006 – 2011
Table 38 – Historic - Mobile market investments – 2006 – 2011
Table 39 – Historic - Mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2008 – 2011
Table 40 – Historic - MTN Benin subscribers and ARPU – 2003 – 2011
Table 41 – Historic - Mobile internet subscribers – 2009 – 2011
Table 42 – Historic - Libercom subscribers – 2011 – 2018
Table 43 – Historic - BBCom subscribers – 2011 – 2015
Table 44 – Historic - Glo Mobile subscribers – 2011 – 2017
Table 45 – Historic - International internet bandwidth – 2000 – 2011
Table 46 – Historic - Internet subscribers by technology – 2009 – 2011
Table 47 – Historic - DSL subscribers – 2004 – 2011
Table 48 – Historic - WiMAX broadband subscribers – 2013 – 2015
Table 49 – Historic - Benin Telecoms revenue – 2007 – 2011
Table 50 – Historic - Fixed lines in service by type – 2006 – 2011

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders
Chart 2 – Africa – Market Leaders global ranking
Chart 3 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
Chart 4 – Africa – Market Challengers global ranking
Chart 5 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents
Chart 6 – Africa – Market Emergents global ranking
Chart 7 – Africa – Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
Chart 8 – Africa – Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Africa – Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Development of fixed-line and mobile revenue – 2012 – 2020
Chart 11 – Change in mobile revenue by operator – 2012 – 2020
Chart 12 – Development of mobile market investment – 2012 – 2020
Chart 13 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 14 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 15 – Change in the mobile market share of subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2021
Chart 16 – Decline in SMS traffic – 2012 – 2021
Chart 17 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 18 – Growth in the number of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2021
Chart 19 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2013 – 2027
Chart 20 – Change in the number of mobile internet subscribers by platform – 2019 – 2021
Chart 21 – Growth in the number of MTN Benin’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 22 – Decline in MTN Benin’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2022
Chart 23 – Development of MTN Benin’s financial data – 2012 – 2021
Chart 24 – Growth in the number of Moov’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 25 – Growth in the number of mobile money subscribers by provider – 2016 – 2021
Chart 26 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2012 – 2021
Chart 27 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by technology – 2012 – 2021
Chart 28 – Change in the market share of fixed internet subscribers by operator – 2014 – 2021
Chart 29 – Decline in Benin Telecoms’ revenue – 2012 – 2019
Chart 30 – Change in Benin Telecoms’ fixed-line revenue by type – 2016 – 2019
Chart 31 – Decline in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Chart 32 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service by type – 2012 – 2021
Chart 33 – Increase in international internet bandwidth – 2012 – 2020

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Africa
Exhibit 2 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 3 – Africa – Market Leaders and market developments
Exhibit 4 – Africa – Market Challengers and market developments
Exhibit 5 – Africa – Market Emergents and market developments
Exhibit 6 – Map of Benin

Related Reports

Purchase this Report

Contact BuddeComm

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

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:

TMT Intelligence Platform

Research Methodology

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:

Research Methodology

More than 4,000 customers from 140 countries utilise BuddeComm Research

Are you interested in BuddeComm's Custom Research Service?

Hot Topics

News & Views

Have the latest telecommunications industry news delivered to your inbox by subscribing to BuddeComm's weekly newsletter.

Unsubscribe

Benin Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Benin secures funds to improve national fibre network

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

Regional Africa Market Comparison

Country overview

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Fixed network operators

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views