African Mobile Observatory

This report is the first African edition in the GSMA Mobile Observatory series. It provides a comprehensive review of the African mobile communications industry. It covers the state of the industry, including the evolution of competition, innovation in new products, services and technologies and the industrys contribution to social and economic development in Africa.

The regular geographic scope of this study consists of the 54 countries of Africa – both North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Key findings of the study are:

• Africa is the second largest mobile market in the world after Asia with over 620 million mobile connections;
• Number of mobile connections in Africa has grown an average of 30 percent per year and is forecast to reach 735 million by the end of 2012;
• Mobile Industry in Africa contributes US$56 billion to the regional economy, equivalent to 3.5% of total GDP;
• Around 36 percent of Africans, within the 25 largest African mobile markets, still have no access to mobile services.

The mobile industry in Africa is an enabler of economic development far beyond its immediate domain. Regulation practices must continue to improve to ensure the effective long term development of the mobile sector.