Somalia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Somalia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Gabon works on increasing reach of fast broadband services

Supported by oil revenue, Gabon is better placed than many countries in Africa to finance improvements to infrastructure. The government has in the past demonstrated effective husbandry of the resources at its disposal.

Having previously failed to sell most of its remaining interest in Moov Gabon in a bid to attract the financial support and skills of foreign players, the 2021 Finance Law included provisions for the government again to whittle down its holdings in several companies, including Moov Gabon. Some share will be retained in the company, enabling the state to retain some influence on its management decisions.

The country has sufficient international internet bandwidth on submarine cables, while progressive work on the CAB cable has also increased backhaul capacity supporting mobile data traffic. The government’s universal service strategy since 2016 has aimed to eliminate mobile coverage ‘white spots’, increase the reach of broadband services, and improve internet and mobile connectivity. Eventually the entire country will be covered by networks under the universal service. The fund was provided for by the Telecommunications Law and is financed through contributions made by telcos. The government continues to invest in national and international fibre connectivity in a bid to increase the contribution of digital services to GDP, in line with the objectives of the Gabonese Emerging Strategic Plan.

These measures are being supported by private sector operators. Moov Gabon in mid-2021 began investing XAF10 billion in network infrastructure to provide national 3G and LTE coverage, supporting mobile data rates of up to 10Mb/s.

Group Vivendi Africa (GVA) has also expanded the reach of its fibre network since having been awarded a telecoms license in January 2017. Its fibre-based CanalBox service has been available in Libreville since mid-2017, and is to be extended to Port-Gentil and other urban centres later in 2022.