Africa - Fixed Broadband Market - Statistics and Analyses

Africa - Fixed Broadband Market - Statistics and Analyses

African countries showing steady progress towards fibre broadband builds

Although for many years the development of telecom infrastructure in Africa had been held back by underinvestment and neglect among governments and telecom sector regulators, more recently there have been determined efforts across much of the region to address these shortcomings. Even so, some countries continue to suffer from a mix on man-made and natural problems, including civil strife, insurgencies, and drought, which render efforts towards progress difficult.

Inadequate fixed-line services remain pervasive across much of the continent, even in the more mature markets such as South Africa and Nigeria. However, investments being made by governments and telcos are ongoing, and while mobile networks account for most of this spend, there is a considerable proportion earmarked for terrestrial cabling. The result is a growing network of telecom cables providing regional and international connectivity.

These cable systems are providing the means for telcos to expand the reach of their fibre platforms. In many areas, fibre deployments are no longer nascent but maturing, as telcos reach deeper into major urban areas. With cable infrastructure providing greater bandwidth, telcos are able to offer compelling fibre-based broadband services at a reasonable cost to end-users. As such, fibre is being taken up by a wider proportion of urban dwellers, and the service is no longer limited to or perceived as a platform for NGOs, government departments, and businesses which can afford it.

In many respects, fibre is an obvious choice as a platform, since telcos are building infrastructure from the bottom up, and there is little economic benefit in building out copper when fibre is the technology which is best placed to enable governments to achieve their ambitions for developing digital economies.