This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
Published on October 3, 2019, a report by the GSMA revealed that innovative 5G services could generate $5.2 billion (Sh539 billion) of economic expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2034, representing 0.7% of GDP growth.
However, the GSMA warned that efforts by the European space industry to unreasonably constrain the use of millimeter wave frequencies could delay the deployment of 5G services in Africa by up to a decade.
Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA, emphasized the importance of African countries standing strong at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) to protect their interests and secure their digital future.
"Africa must stand strong at WRC-19 to protect its interests and secure its digital future," Goodluck said. "5G will be an evolutionary step with a revolutionary impact, having a deeper effect on our lives than any previous mobile generation."
The GSMA report highlighted the potential of 5G mmWave spectrum to enable low-latency, data-intensive applications that could transform various industries and use cases in Sub-Saharan Africa.
These applications could benefit the region's transport logistics infrastructure, extractive industries, and other sectors by enabling improvements to vital transport links and making extraction activities more cost-effective and safer.
However, the GSMA warned that without adequate support at WRC-19, the deployment of these 5G services may be delayed for up to a decade.
The GSMA and its Board have called on governments to support the identification of spectrum for mobile at WRC-19 in an open letter sent to ministers and heads of regulatory authorities in 170 countries globally, including Sub-Saharan Africa.
