Nigeria, others’ mobile broadband below 20% -Report

Mobile broadband penetration in Africa’s fastest-growing telecoms market, Nigeria and in other countries in the continent, is still below 20 per cent mark, a new report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed. The report entitled: ‘ICT facts and figures’ for 2015, which was obtained by New Telegraph, shows that despite increasing access to cheaper smartphones, Africa’s mobile broadband penetration remains low. The study stated that the continent is the only region where mobile broadband access is less than 20 per cent. The latest report examines the global development of Information and Communication Technology over the past 15 years from year 2000 to 2015.

According to the report, Africa’s mobile broadband subscriptions currently stand at 17.4 per cent. The report notes that mobile- broadband penetration levels are highest in Europe and the Americas at around 78 active subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. A report by the Pew Research Center released earlier this year had revealed that smartphones (those that can access the Internet and applications) are less widely used in Africa. Significant minorities own these devices in several nations, including 34 per cent of South Africans, the report stated. According to Global System for Mobile Communications Operators Association (GSMA) predictions, smartphones will constitute 20 per cent of the African market by 2017.

Commenting on the report, the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Mr. Brahima Sanou, explained that globally 3.2 billion people are using the Internet, of which two billion are from developing countries, including Nigeria. “ICTs will play an even more significant role in the post 2015 development agenda and in achieving future sustainable development goals as the world moves faster and faster towards a digital society,” he stated. The ITU’s report, however, does not reveal the reasons for low mobile broadband access in Africa. Last year, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) said that in some African countries, for example, citizens, who live on less than $2 a day have to fork out 35 per cent of their monthly incomes if they want mobile broadband. Nigeria, in particular, has a peculiar situation, where access to mobile broadband is still high.