Senegal Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Publication Date: December 2023

Report Pages: 155

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

5G trials continue in Senegal

Senegal’s telecom market continues to show steady growth in all sectors. This has been supported by the particular demands made on consumers during the pandemic, which resulted in a particularly strong increase in the number of subscribers. The mobile subscriber base increased 6.7% in 2020, year-on-year, and by 4.1% in 2021, while the number of fixed broadband subscribers increased 17.5% year-on-year in 2021. In common with most markets in the region, mobile internet platforms account for the vast majority of all internet accesses. Quality of Service issues continue to plague the market, with the regulator periodically issuing fines to the market players.

Orange Group’s local subsidiary Orange Senegal (Sonatel) remains the dominant player in both the fixed-line and mobile sectors. Free Senegal and Expresso Telecom provide effective competition, and though their relative market shares have been relatively stable since 2013, Free has more recently made some inroads to the share held by Expresso. This can partly be explained by the two-year delay in Expresso launching LTE services, and so losing new subscribers to its competitors. Both Sonatel and Free continue to pilot 5G services in the country.

Orange Senegal for some years held a near monopoly on the fixed-line, though moderate competition became effective after Expresso launched services as the second national operator in 2009. However, Expresso soon afterwards stopped investing on the sector, and it stopped providing fixed telephony services in September 2018. In February 2021, the regulator ordered the company to relaunch fixed telephony services, and so adhere to its licence terms. By the following September it had signed up several thousand customers.

Key developments:

Orange Senegal completes second 5G tests, with Nokia as partner;
Free deploys 5G pilot network, partners with Avanti Communications to build a satellite gateway;
National Digital Council of Senegal gets to work;
Intersat signs deal with Eutelsat Communications to deliver broadband services using the Eutelsat Konnect satellite, while Sonatel partners SES to launch a new satellite system for the African region;
Three MNOs are fined for failing QoS of networks;
ARTP reduces fines to support increased network investment and establishes a steering committee tasked with boosting network coverage;
Helios Towers acquires passive infrastructure assets from Free Senegal, commits $200 million investment in upgrading telecom coverage through to 2026;
Expresso launches e-money platform;
Digital Senegal 2025 program to cost XOF1,346 billion;
Report update includes the regulator's market data to March 2022, operator data to Q4 2021, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Sonatel (Orange Senegal), Free Senegal (Sentel, Tigo Senegal), Saga Africa Holdings, Sudatel (Expresso), Arc Informatique, Globacom, Mainstreet Technologies, Lycamobile Senegal

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
Telecom sector reform
Fixed-line developments

Telecommunications Act of 2001
Universal Service Fund
West African common regulatory framework 2005
Electronic Transactions Act
Taxes
Telecom sector liberalisation
Digital Cities
Digital Senegal
Second national operator (SNO) licence
VoIP

Mobile network developments

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
SIM card registration
Tigo Senegal licence dispute
LTE licence
Roaming
QoS

Mobile market

Market analysis
Mobile statistics
Mobile data

SMS
OTT messaging services

Mobile infrastructure

5G
4G (LTE)
3G
Mobile broadband
M2M/IoT

Major mobile operators

Orange Senegal
Free Senegal
Expresso Telecom (Sudatel)

Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)

Hayo Telecom

Mobile content and applications

Manobi
M-payments and m-banking

Fixed-line broadband market

Introduction and statistical overview
Broadband statistics
Fixed-line broadband technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP)
Other fixed broadband services

Digital Economy

E-health
E-government
E-commerce

Fixed network operators

Orange Senegal

Subsidiaries
Privatisation
Financial results
Network infrastructure and services
Telecentres
International expansion

Expresso Telecom

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
National Research and Education Network (NREN)
International infrastructure

Satellite
Terrestrial fibre and microwave
Submarine fibre

Data centres
Smart infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Senegal – 2022 (e)
Table 2 – Development of telecom revenue (XOF billion) – 2012 – 2019
Table 3 – Change in the number of mobile number portings – 2016 – 2019
Table 4 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 5 – Change in the market share of subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 6 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 7 – Mobile voice traffic per subscriber per month – 2016 – 2022
Table 8 – Development of mobile voice traffic – 2012 – 2022
Table 9 – Development of SMS traffic – 2014 – 2022
Table 10 – Change in the number of SMS sent per month – 2016 – 2022
Table 11 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Table 12 – Change in the market share of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 13 – Change in market share of mobile internet subscribers by platform – 2018 – 2022
Table 14 – Orange Senegal mobile broadband subscribers – 2013 – 2018
Table 15 – Change in the number of Orange Senegal’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 16 – Development of Orange Senegal’s mobile revenue – 2012 – 2021
Table 17 – Development of Orange Senegal’s prepaid mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2020
Table 18 – Growth in the number of Free’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 19 – Growth in the number of Expresso’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 20 – Growth in the number of Orange Money subscribers – 2014 – 2021
Table 21 – Fixed broadband subscribers by alterative ISPs – 2018 – 2022
Table 22 – Growth in the number of internet users in Senegal – 2012 – 2022
Table 23 – Market share of internet connections by platform – 2012 – 2022
Table 24 – Change in internet penetration by platform – 2015 – 2021
Table 25 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by platform – 2012 – 2022
Table 26 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 27 – Change in the number of fixed wireless internet subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Table 28 – Change in the share of fixed wireless broadband market by operator (keys and data cards) – 2013 – 2021
Table 29 – Development of Sonatel Group’s financial results (XOF billion) – 2012 – 2021
Table 30 – Development of Sonatel Group’s revenue by type (XOF million) – 2016 – 2021
Table 31 – Growth in the number of Sonatel Group’s subscribers by platform – 2014 – 2021
Table 32 – Development of Orange Senegal financials (XOF billion) – 2012 – 2021
Table 33 – Change in Orange Senegal’s fixed-line ARPU – 2012 – 2019
Table 34 – Change in the number of fixed-lines in service and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 35 – Change in the market share of fixed-line subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Table 36 – International internet bandwidth in Senegal – 2012 – 2017
Table 37 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration – 2000 – 2011
Table 38 – Historic - Mobile voice traffic – 2002 – 2011
Table 39 – Historic - Orange Senegal mobile subscribers – 1999 – 2011
Table 40 – Historic - Orange Senegal blended mobile ARPU (€) – 2012 – 2016
Table 41 – Historic - Internet users in Senegal – 2000 – 2011
Table 42 – Historic - Fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2007 – 2011
Table 43 – Historic - DSL and fibre subscribers in Senegal – 2002 – 2011
Table 44 – Historic - Sonatel Group financial results (XOF billion) – 2004 – 2011
Table 45 – Historic - Orange Senegal fixed-line ARPU – 2004 – 2011
Table 46 – Historic - International internet bandwidth in Senegal – 2002 – 2011
Table 47 – Historic - Fixed-lines in service and teledensity in Senegal – 1999 – 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 telecom revenue – 2012 – 2019
Chart 11 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 12 – Change in the market share of subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 13 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 14 – Development of mobile voice traffic – 2012 – 2022
Chart 15 – Development of SMS traffic – 2014 – 2022
Chart 16 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Chart 17 – Change in the market share of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2022
Chart 18 – Change in the number of Orange Senegal’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 19 – Development of Orange Senegal’s prepaid mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2020
Chart 20 – Growth in the number of Free’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 21 – Growth in the number of Expresso’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2022
Chart 22 – Growth in the number of internet users in Senegal – 2012 – 2022
Chart 23 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by platform – 2012 – 2022
Chart 24 – Growth in the number of fixed broadband subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 25 – Change in the share of fixed wireless broadband market by operator (keys and data cards) – 2013 – 2022
Chart 26 – Development of Sonatel Group’s financial results – 2012 – 2021
Chart 27 – Development of Sonatel Group’s revenue by type – 2016 – 2021
Chart 28 – Growth in the number of Sonatel Group’s subscribers by platform – 2014 – 2021
Chart 29 – Development of Orange Senegal financials – 2012 – 2021
Chart 30 – Change in Orange Senegal’s fixed-line ARPU – 2012 – 2019
Chart 31 – Change in the number of fixed-lines in service and teledensity in Senegal – 2012 – 2027

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 Senegal
Exhibit 7 – 2Africa landing stations

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Senegal Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

5G trials continue in Senegal

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

Digital Economy

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