/ 23 November 2012

African mobile markets on exponential growth track

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.
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.

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.