Mobile telecoms networks are underpinning economic growth across Africa, paving the way for the continent’s digital transformation. A lack of fixed telecommunications infrastructure in many African nations, combined with a range of local socio-economic factors, has made mobile access paramount for many African consumers and business owners, facilitating not only communication but also everyday financial, educational, and administrative tasks.
While several challenges have seen mobile adoption lag behind other global regions, progress in 4G adoption in some nations is unlocking new opportunities and prompting a surge in mobile data traffic across both sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. Steady but uneven progress in global Internet connectivity highlights the disparities of the digital divide and is leaving people in low-income countries behind, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Through concerted collaborative efforts aimed at narrowing infrastructure gaps and improving affordability, Africa is poised to fully leverage the internet’s potential to drive its development and prosperity forward.
Facts & Figures
- The number of mobile internet users in Africa is estimated to have surpassed 330 million in 2024, with this figure set to more than double by the end of the decade.
- In 2023, more than half of mobile internet connections in the region were 3G connections, while less than a third used superior 4G infrastructure.
- The Johannesburg-based MTN Group is a dominant player in mobile services across Africa. The operator counted almost 290 million subscribers across sub-Saharan Africa and MENA as of the second quarter of 2024, including those serviced via several joint ventures, while annual revenue for 2023 reached over 11.5 billion U.S. dollars. Africa’s largest country by population, Nigeria, accounted for the greatest share of revenue, followed by MTN’s home market of South Africa.
- While MTN expands its services across the region, Chinese vendors have found success in the mobile handset market. Shenzhen-based Tecno commands the greatest share of the market in Nigeria, while Oppo and Xiaomi are challenging Samsung’s position as market leader in markets such as Egypt.
Also,
- Mobile subscriptions in Africa: 1.1bn
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Africa: 92.3
- MTN Group subscribers: 294.8m
Mobile data
- Mobile internet users in Africa: 331.6m
- Most used mobile network generation in sub-Saharan Africa: 3G
- Most used mobile network generation in MENA: 4G
Mobile vendors
- Leading mobile device vendor in Nigeria: Tecno
- Leading mobile device vendor in Egypt: Samsung
- Leading mobile device vendor in South Africa: Samsung
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**Sources: International Telecommunication Union (ITU); Statista; Telecom Review Africa.
