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- 1. 345M Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been the fastest growing region over the last 5 years, in terms of both unique mobile subscribers and connections Unique subscribers Jobs directly supported by mobile ecosystem Capital expenditure Supporting the connection of an additional globally to the mobile internet by 2020 2 BILLION PEOPLE June 2015 507M Connections June 2015 2013 2020 685M(including 9 million M2M connections) 987M 2.5M PLUS AN ADDITIONAL 3.7 MILLION INDIRECTLY SUPPORTED 3.5M From 2015-2020 is forecast at a total of US$84B 40% PENETRATION RATE 49% PENETRATION RATE 2020 93% PENETRATION RATE (excluding M2M) 2020 Mobile Broadband: A Catalyst For Development in Africa 2015
- 2. Network infrastructure and policy: Increasing network coverage to currently unserved populations through the prioritisation of spectrum for mobile and the promotion of voluntary infrastructure sharing, renewable energy solutions and pro-investment government policies Affordability: Reducing the total cost of ownership of mobile internet services to consumers, including sector-specific government taxes and fees Consumer demand: Addressing digital literacy, awareness of mobile internet services and the development of internet skills Local content: Improving local language content and services (e.g. e-government services) in order to make mobile phone and internet use locally relevant • 2015 is a pivotal year for the future of mobile internet access in Africa, with the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) digital migration deadline in June and the World Radiocommunication Conference in November • Data traffic in SSA is projected to grow at a pace of twice the global average (by 20 times to 2019) • Forecasts indicate that well over half of all connections in SSA will be smartphones by 2020, compared to only 19% in June 2015 • The internet could account for up to 10% of Africa’s annual GDP, or US$300 billion by 2025 • While 85% of the population have 2G or 3G mobile coverage, 4 billion people remain unconnected worldwide, with emerging markets seeing the greatest usage gap • The ITU predicts that governments need to roughly double the amount of mobile spectrum to meet demand in 2020 The gender gap in mobile phone ownership is estimated to be 13% in SSA. However, GSMA research shows there are vast differences among countries, varying from 45% in Niger to 7% in Kenya. Improving mobile access for women will involve increasing affordability and literacy, improving network quality and coverage, and addressing security concerns. Mobile money services play a major role in fostering financial inclusion and economic growth. In 2014 mobile money was available in more than 80% of developing markets in SSA. This is an extract from The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2014 report, ssa.gsmamobileeconomy.com, with updated 2015 data from GSMAi Key drivers to improving mobile investment and access Mobile internet Mobile4Development