|
Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers (per 100 people)
|
Country |
Year |
|
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
|
Seychelles |
96.8 |
107.6 |
117.6 |
133.2 |
|
Mauritius |
81.6 |
90.2 |
102.3 |
110.2 |
|
Algeria |
49.4 |
71.5 |
90.5 |
102.4 |
|
South Africa |
82.5 |
93.5 |
97.9 |
101.5 |
|
Tunisia |
69.2 |
85.0 |
89.2 |
95.3 |
|
Libya |
48.2 |
80.0 |
88.7 |
93.1 |
|
Gabon |
56.7 |
67.0 |
84.1 |
91.6 |
|
Botswana |
38.1 |
51.2 |
68.1 |
84.7 |
|
Morocco |
45.0 |
56.0 |
71.8 |
81.7 |
|
World |
54.3 |
62.4 |
70.5 |
79.7 |
|
China |
57.1 |
63.2 |
69.3 |
74.1 |
|
Gambia |
19.1 |
28.7 |
52.6 |
73.2 |
|
Cape Verde |
32.1 |
37.2 |
45.5 |
70.1 |
|
Mauritania |
26.4 |
35.8 |
46.3 |
67.4 |
|
Egypt |
31.1 |
36.8 |
51.7 |
65.3 |
|
Namibia |
29.3 |
36.4 |
44.9 |
56.0 |
|
Cote D'Ivoire |
13.6 |
22.0 |
38.7 |
52.5 |
|
Congo, Rep. |
16.8 |
26.8 |
36.8 |
50.6 |
|
Ghana |
14.6 |
24.8 |
34.9 |
50.2 |
|
Swaziland |
20.9 |
25.9 |
36.8 |
49.3 |
|
Senegal |
17.7 |
28.2 |
32.8 |
46.1 |
|
Kenya |
13.7 |
20.8 |
30.8 |
42.7 |
|
Nigeria |
14.1 |
23.6 |
28.4 |
42.5 |
|
Benin |
8.5 |
13.9 |
24.0 |
41.5 |
|
Guinea |
2.3 |
- |
21.0 |
39.3 |
|
Angola |
10.3 |
18.4 |
28.8 |
38.2 |
|
Cameroon |
13.2 |
17.9 |
25.3 |
33.3 |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
7.4 |
10.9 |
19.5 |
32.0 |
|
Lesotho |
14.9 |
20.4 |
25.3 |
31.5 |
|
Tanzania |
9.1 |
14.8 |
20.6 |
30.9 |
|
Sudan |
6.2 |
13.1 |
21.2 |
29.9 |
|
Zambia |
8.9 |
14.6 |
22.2 |
28.8 |
|
Mali |
7.1 |
13.2 |
21.0 |
27.7 |
|
Uganda |
4.9 |
7.1 |
14.2 |
27.6 |
|
Madagascar |
3.4 |
6.5 |
12.3 |
26.2 |
|
Togo |
8.3 |
12.9 |
20.5 |
26.2 |
|
Mozambique |
7.6 |
- |
14.4 |
20.0 |
|
Liberia |
- |
- |
15.6 |
19.3 |
|
Comoros |
5.4 |
9.1 |
13.9 |
18.9 |
|
Sierra Leone |
- |
- |
14.9 |
18.7 |
|
Burkina Faso |
5.3 |
7.8 |
11.8 |
17.7 |
|
Chad |
2.2 |
4.6 |
8.8 |
16.7 |
|
Zimbabwe |
7.8 |
9.5 |
12.6 |
16.1 |
|
Djibouti |
6.8 |
6.8 |
10.0 |
15.0 |
|
Rwanda |
2.7 |
- |
7.0 |
13.8 |
|
Niger |
2.7 |
3.7 |
6.5 |
13.3 |
|
Malawi |
3.8 |
5.3 |
8.5 |
13.2 |
|
Somalia |
7.2 |
7.6 |
8.0 |
8.1 |
|
Burundi |
2.5 |
3.0 |
3.8 |
6.3 |
|
Central African Republic |
2.7 |
2.9 |
3.3 |
3.8 |
|
Ethiopia |
1.4 |
2.1 |
2.7 |
3.5 |
|
Eritrea |
1.7 |
2.1 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
Source: ITU & World Bank
Promising trends
> According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the usage of Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) services, such as mobile phones and the Internet, has a wide range of different economic effects, which, directly or indirectly, can increase welfare and facilitate social and economic development. Specifically speaking, these effects include productivity increase, trade creation and trade facilitation in service sectors, employment opportunities and the creation of new business models.
Today, when it comes to Internet usage, Africa still lags behind. As of the end of 2010, the penetration rate of fixed (wired) broadband in the region is less than 1 percent (global level: 8 percent). And the Internet user penetration rate which is estimated to reach 9.6 percent is far behind the world average (30 percent) and the developing country average (21 percent).
On the contrary, mobile phone plays a more important role in Africa. While mobile cellular growth is slowing worldwide in the period 2009-10, Africa's penetration of mobile cellular is believed to reach 41 percent at the end of 2010 (compared to 76 percent globally), leaving a significant potential for growth.
Source: The World in 2010: Facts and Figures, ITU |
