African mobile markets on exponential growth track
Africa's mobile markets are poised for high growth, according to a number of reports released recently by PwC, Deloitte and the GSM Association.
As the only cellular operator in Swaziland, MTN stands accused of defending its monopoly unfairly and having high-ranking officials among its shareholders. Analysts Informa Telecoms & Media forecast last week that the number of mobile subscribers in Africa would be as high as 750-million before the end of 2012 and would reach one billion by 2015. Considering that the number was 16-million in 2000, the year when mobile overtook fixed subscribers on the continent, this growth is impressive.
A recent report from PwC’s Commu-nications Review stated that $78.8-billion was invested in the telecoms sector in Africa in 2008 and this figure was expected to be as high as $145.8-billion by 2015, an 85% increase. Mobile accounts for a large chunk of this investment.
