West and Central Africa represents one of the
fastest-growing mobile communications market in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the
past few years, the region has witnessed a dramatic increase in mobile
subscriptions due mainly to the surge in mobile subscriptions in Nigeria. The
low levels of mobile broadband penetration in the region indicate that there is
room for growth.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, West and Central African Mobile Communications
Market Tracker, finds that the mobile communications markets in Nigeria,
Cameroon and the Ivory Coast earned combined revenues of $8.6 billion in 2009
and estimates this to reach $12.6 billion in 2016. From approximately 92.6
million in 2009, mobile subscribers are expected to grow to 172.4 million in
2015.
The West and Central African region is one of the most
dynamic with more than 3 mobile operators in each country and massive
infrastructure development. The intense competition amongst mobile operators
has boosted market development in terms of offerings and technology deployed,”
said Mervin Miemoukanda, ICT industry analyst,
Frost & Sullivan.
Unlike in other regions, most operators in Central and
West Africa have rolled out fibre optic backbone, thereby bypassing the
incumbent fixed line operators’ expensive transmission networks.
Although the mobile broadband penetration rate is less
than 1 percent in the three countries, they have experienced a considerable
uptake of broadband services due to the increasing adoption of social media and
decrease in tariffs. In Nigeria, mobile broadband has surpassed fixed broadband
subscriptions over the past 2 years and this trend is expected to be witnessed
in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast in the next 3 years.
However, challenges remain. High taxes on telecom
services and compulsory subscriber registration threaten to dampen market
expansion. The high cost and limited availability of bandwidth also threaten to
rein in market prospects.
A number of factors currently hamper the growth of this
region. These include low disposable income, lack of infrastructure in rural
areas and the shortage of bandwidth in most countries in the region, especially
in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast,” added Miemoukanda.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
