The region's growth in new mobile subscriptions is slowing. The average rate of mobile penetration in Africa was 79 per cent at the end of June, with mobile voice revenue on the continent predicted to decline over the five years to 2021.
However, the next phase of growth is being driven by data and digital services. Data connections, as well as data and digital service revenue, will expand Africa’s telecoms market. The take-up of mobile broadband will rise strongly, powered by operators continuing to roll out 3G and 4G LTE networks in all territories and smartphone handsets becoming increasingly affordable.
By 2021, it is estimated that there will be one billion mobile broadband connections in Africa, including 157.4 million 4G LTE connections. Additionally, the number of smartphone connections on the continent will reach 929.9 million at the end of 2021. Non-SMS mobile data revenue in Africa will rise from US$6.40 billion in 2015 to US$27.56 billion...