African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008: At a Crossroads

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African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008:At a Crossroads

Vanessa [email protected]

Market Information and Statistics DivisionTelecommunication Development BureauInternational Telecommunication Union

May 2008


2

Content Sector overview Universal service and access Enhancing the enabling environment Recommendations African Telecommunication/ICT

Indicators (21 country/regional tables) African Telecommunication/ICT

Organizations

May 2008


3

Mobile: The African success story

Even the most optimistic projections have been surpassed! Today Africa is home to more than one quarter billion mobile subscribers or more than one mobile for every four people.

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300

2000 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07

Subscribers, millions

South Africa

North Africa

Sub-Saharan

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80

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2000 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07

Subscribers per 100 people

South Africa

North AfricaAFRICA

Sub-Saharan

May 2008


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At a crossroads While there has been rapid

expansion in access to ICTs, Africa must sustain and deepen growth and expand access, especially in Internet.

2 paths: ICT policy makers continue as is, with an

unfinished liberalization framework. Additional use of ICT services needs to come from lower income segments. These customers are highly sensitive to pricing. Without deeper reform, it is unlikely that prices will drop sufficiently to sustain growth.

Unleash fresh growth and investment by dealing with regulation, taxation and electricity issues that are hampering the sector’s development. This will lower costs and prices.

May 2008


5

Mobile affordability Competition has been a

key driver in reducing mobile prices across the region.

ARPU has fallen in line with tariffs.

There is plenty of scope for prices to come down even further, in order for mobile phone ownership to reach new customer segments among the broader population.

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AfricaIndia

Mobile ARPU, US$

May 2008


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Mobile – South Africa First African country to

introduce mobile competition Has remained at forefront of

mobile liberalization: Only African country to

introduced Mobile Virtual Network Operator (June 2006)

1st to introduce mobile number portability (Nov. 2006)

Highest mobile penetration in Africa and on target to reach 100% by end of this decade

Highest number of 3G subscribers in Africa

Monthly prepaid basket price is 3% of income, one of lowest in Africa

19

92

73

31

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2000 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07

Mobile subscribers per 100 peopleHouseholds with a mobile phone (%)

May 2008


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Fixed telephony Africa's dramatic growth in mobile communications has

left fixed telephone lines behind. At the end of 2007, there were 35 million fixed lines on the continent, equivalent to an overall teledensity of 3.3 fixed telephone line subscribers per 100 inhabitants. This is up only slightly from 2.8 fixed lines per 100 inhabitants in 2002.

Incumbents and new entrants are seeking to increase the popularity of fixed telephony through the expansion of fixed wireless networks. CDMA2000 1X has emerged as the de facto technology for fixed wireless in Africa with 31 countries deploying the technology.

May 2008


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Internet Africa has about 50 million

Internet users = about one user among twenty persons. Over half of the region's Internet users are estimated to be located in North African and South Africa.

Bandwidth is scarce and Internet access is relatively expensive in most countries

Levels of international Internet connectivity are quite low in most African countries. Africa as a whole had in total around 40 Gbps of international bandwidth in 2007, of which over 90 percent was devoted to North African countries and South Africa.

Europe 112

Americas86

Asia127Africa

1.7

Oceania5.2

Fixed broadband subscribers by region (millions), 2007

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Oceania Americas Europe Asia Africa

20072004

Internet users as percentage of total population

41 42

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424538

31 30

9 3

May 2008


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Wireless broadband 3G and WiMAX starting to emerge as viable

broadband solution for Africa

Provide promising alternative to shortage of fixed broadband options

Countries with both wired and wireless broadband options have lower prices and higher broadband take-up

May 2008


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Broadband - Morocco Inter-modal competition

between ADSL and 3G Broadband prices are the

cheapest in Africa, at US$ 18 per month for a 256 kbps package

Offers highest broadband speeds in Africa (20Mbps)

The 4th highest broadband penetration in Africa and practically all Internet access through broadband

First African country to launch IPTV

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2002 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07

Share of Internet subscribers

Dial-up

Fixed broadband subscribers

May 2008


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Payphones - Togo West Africa is a leader in

the liberalization and spread of privately operated pay phones

Togo has the highest ratio of public pay phones as a % of fixed lines

Almost 25% of Togo's main lines are connected to private telephone cabins

Togo's two mobile operators provide public telephony through GSM cabins which numbered over 10’000 in 2006

Average distance to reach a public telephone facility in the country is around 400 meters 0

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2001 '03 '05

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Private telephone cabinsAs % of main lines

May 2008


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Deepening reform Create fully independent and adequately resourced

regulatory authority Only half of countries have private incumbents. More competition and lower prices through

Infrastructure sharing Mobile termination MVNO & MNP to increases competition Internet Exchange Points VoIP Reduce licensing fees and unify licenses

May 2008


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Taxation• Import duties on IT equipment, VAT

on goods and services and excise taxes on communications services raise prices, limit take-up and discouraging use.

• A 1% drop in the price of a handset in Africa could boost mobile penetration by 2.4 per cent.

• A 1% reduction in taxes could lead to an average increase in penetration of 0.5 per cent.

• “…elasticity of demand is estimated to be higher in Africa than elsewhere, reflecting the potential for further marginal consumers, and hence to increase penetration greatly by a reduction in [mobile related taxes].“

• Reduction in excise taxes can boost tax revenues for governments due to a larger number of users and spillover effects throughout the economy.

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ExciseVAT

Mobile taxes

Source: GSM Association.

May 2008


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Electricity The lack of electricity in Sub-

Saharan Africa is a serious impediment to the development of ICT markets. Alternative sources of energy

(wind, solar and biofuel powered base stations).

Synergies between ICTs and electrical utilities ( fiber optic networks; broadband over electricity power lines)

Tax rebates to offset high costs of energy such as import duty waivers and tax reductions for companies supplying renewable-based power and equipment to mobile operators.

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100

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Per cent of population with access to electricity, 2005

Source: Adapted from World Energy Outlook 2006.

May 2008


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African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008 includes:

Analytical section 21 regional tables

covering telecommunication/ICT indicators (2006/2007)

53 individual country pages with a five year profile from 2002-2007

A complete list of telecommunication ministries, regulators and operators in the region

Recommendations Enhance liberalization and

privatization and strengthen regulatory agencies

Lower costs through license and spectrum efficiency, reducing telecom related taxes, infrastructure sharing and energy incentives

Promote wireless broadband

Incorporate mobile into universal access policies

Expand public Internet access

Documents

African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008: At a Crossroads