Africa sees a real boom on mobile market

New research recently released by Blycroft Publishing sees 25% growth across the African mobile market with the activation of 74 million new subscribers. The ‘Africa and Middle East Mobile Network Operators Directory’ looks into this market and examines 214 networks across 193 pages of research.

At the end of March 2008 the African mobile market stood at 296 million subscribers. During 2008 the market grew by more than 74 million subscribers reaching 370 million mobile subscribers as of Q408, representing a remarkable 25% increase in the size of the market.

This 25% rate of growth can be attributed to several factors. The first of which is the launch of 11 new networks within Bénin, Botswana, Congo Brazzaville, Ghana, Guinea-Conakry, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Uganda. These launches include Zain launching in Ghana and Orange launching in both Niger and Uganda. Out of the total increase these operations accounted for just 2.5 million subscribers, which may have churned from other networks. 70 million other subscribers must be attributable to another factor with the most likely factors being economic growth and proliferation of networks within Africa.

Commenting on the results, John Summers, Editor of ‘Africa & Middle East Telecom-Week’, said: “This market has been growing in potential for years. With the world unable to invest in the usual economic markets the global powerhouses have been looking to the African continent. Money has been moving into the continent with big businesses moving in and investors realising potential gains to be had. Mobile payments have also surged into the area due to migrant workers sending money back to family they have left behind. At the same time African owned concerns have managed to keep a hand in this growth and directed funds back into communication networks, instead of foreign investors reaping all the rewards. Deep sea cables have also been laid increasing communication traffic volumes. Having stood so far behind Western Europe and its Middle East neighbours the African region is now ready for its turn at economic growth.”

As of May there were 163 mobile networks live across Africa spanning both GSM and CDMA technologies.

Across Africa this directory’s research looks at mobile markets in Algeria, Angola, Bénin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comores, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Somalia (Puntland), South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Included in this directory analysts are also presented with the operations of the Middle East.

The ‘Africa and Middle East Mobile Networks Directory 2009’ is also volume 1 of Blycroft’s MNO Directory 2009. The global directory is now in its 3rd edition and has grown in size and quality each year. Analysts can find contact information for approximately 1,000 senior managers within Volume 1, as well as mobile subscriber data, market shares, ownership details and network technology information.