In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 137 million new mobile subscribers are forecast by 2025, ITWeb reported, citing a GSMA report. An estimated 27 percent or 165 million total mobile connections will be made on 4G and 3 percent (18.4 million) on 5G by that date, says the report released to coincide with the GSMA Thrive Africa virtual event.
According to the report, mobile-enabled platforms and services will increasingly disrupt traditional value chains in sub-Saharan Africa, as it remains the fastest-growing mobile region globally, with 477 million subscribers at the end of 2019. The extra 137 million subscribers expected over the next five years will take the total mobile customer base to just over 614 million, representing around half the population of the region, and a CAGR growth rate of 4.3 percent.
While spectrum availability will promote strong growth in 4G and 5G connectivity over the next few years, 3G mobile connections will continue to dominate the region, says the GSMA.
The report calculates that growth in mobile connectivity across Sub-Saharan Africa will generate around USD 184 billion in economic value to regional GDP by 2024. According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the digital landscape around the world, and the mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa has largely risen to the challenge of keeping individuals and businesses connected, despite changes in data consumption patterns.
With nearly 800 million people in the region still not connected to the mobile internet, it has never been more urgent to close the digital divide, it advises. Mobile money services, infrastructure and mobile-based content/services, as well as the application of mobile big data for social good, are expected to record the highest rise in the next five years, notes the report. It says the 2020s will see strong growth in the number of Africans connected to mobile broadband. As 4G and 5G grow together throughout the decade to come, spectrum preparation can drive cost-efficiency and promote growth, according to the GSMA.
