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Niger Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

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Last updated: 19 Nov 2024 Update History

Report Status: Current

Report Pages: 122

Niger’s junta extracting funds from the telecom sector

Niger is one of the largest countries in West Africa but also one of the poorest in the world. As with many African markets, a lack of fixed telecoms infrastructure has led to growth in mobile services. Although only a third of the country has mobile coverage, up to 87% of the population can receive at least a basic service. While Niger’s mobile penetration is modest compared to other countries in the region, fixed broadband penetration is negligible.

Recent international investment to complete the Trans-Saharan Dorsal optical fibre (SDR) network has extended the reach of fibre infrastructure in the country, and also increased international capacity. New cables linking the country with Chad and Burkina Faso have extended Niger’s connectivity with international cable infrastructure.

Following years of financial difficulties, the state-owned fixed line operator, Sonitel, was merged with its wholly owned mobile unit, SahelCom, in late 2016 to form a new entity, Niger Telecom. The merged company secured a global telecom licence in November 2017 and is aiming to develop greater efficiency through sharing resources and infrastructure. Still, its fixed-line service is generally limited to the capital city and a few other major towns, while connectivity elsewhere is largely non-existent.

The economic difficulties in the country in recent years, as well as a regulatory spat with authorities which saw its offices being shut down, encouraged Orange Group to sell its local business to its minority shareholder partner. The unit, once operating as Orange Niger, was rebranded as Zamani Telecom in December 2020. At the same time, the company secured funds to embark on a large-scale network upgrade program. Niger also hosts foreign investors in the form of Airtel, which leads the market, and Moov Africa, owned by Maroc Telecom.

Key developments:

  • Niger’s military junta strikes deal to secure Starlink’s internet services.
  • CFA10 levy per phone call and for internet packages imposed to prop up the Solidarity Fund for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland.
  • Telecom regulator provisionally allocates spectrum in the 2600MHz band to operators in a bid to address poor QoS.
  • Report update includes the regulator's market report to Q2 2024, operator data to Q2 2024, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies covered in this report include:

Niger Telecom (Sonitel, SahelCom), Bharti Airtel (Airtel Niger), Zamani Telecom (Orange Niger), Atlantique Telecom, Moov, Maroc Telecom, Etisalat, African Development Bank.

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