Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile, digital, and internet connections have been considered by many to be essential, even vital tools: remote working, video conferencing, social connections, information, entertainment, etc.
Mobile and digital technology have become as essential as water or electricity. To reflect this dynamic and explore future trends in the mobile industry, GSMA, which brings together more than 750 operators and nearly 400 companies in the mobile ecosystem, has published its latest report entitled "The Mobile Economy in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa."
Designed as a review of the year 2021, this report highlights various trends in mobile usage on the continent. Here are the main findings of the report:
- The mobile industry is supporting businesses and individuals during this health crisis. It is even enabling players to increasingly turn to digital technology to carry out their activities.
- The development of 4G is accelerating.
- At the end of 2020, 495 million people were subscribed to mobile services in sub-Saharan Africa, representing 46% of the region's population.
- By 2025, more than 170 million people in the region will have started using mobile internet for the first time, bringing the penetration rate to just under 40% of the population.
- In 2020, mobile technologies and services generated 8% of GDP in sub-Saharan Africa.
To read the full report, click here.