This archive report was first published on 1 August 2019.
By 2025, Sub-Saharan Africa will have 623 million unique mobile subscribers, a significant increase from the 456 million users in 2018, according to a new report by GSMA.
Of these, 483 million subscribers will be connected to the Internet via their phones, with 66% of them using smartphones.
The report forecasts that half of the new subscribers will come from five markets, with Kenya projected to produce nine million, Nigeria 31 million, Ethiopia 18 million, DRC 15 million, Tanzania 10 million, and others 84 million.
Regarding broadband speeds, the report notes that 3G will overtake 2G as the leading mobile technology in Sub-Saharan Africa this year, while 4G will account for almost one in four connections by 2025.
The growth in mobile subscribers is expected to boost the continent's economy and shape the way businesses operate, with mobile-enabled platforms offering opportunities for efficiency and customer choice.
Mobile operators and tech start-ups have rolled out digital services across various sectors, including entertainment, commerce, and financial services, creating 500,000 formal jobs and 1.2 million informal ones in the process.
The mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa contributed nearly Sh14.96 trillion in economic value to the continent in 2018, or 8.6% of Africa's GDP, a figure projected to grow to Sh19.2 trillion by 2023, or 9.1% of GDP.
