The Mobile Economy West Africa 2019
Please sign in or register for a free public account to access this report.
By the end of 2018, there were 185 million unique mobile subscribers in West Africa, an increase of nearly 10 million over the previous year. Future growth will largely be driven by young consumers owning a mobile phone for the first time; more than 40% of the sub-region’s population are under 18 years old. A considerable proportion will become young adults over the next decade.
3G will overtake 2G in 2019 to become the leading mobile technology in West Africa, accounting for 49% of total connections by the end of the year. 3G adoption in the sub-region has doubled over the last two years as a result of continued operator investment in network expansion to previously underserved areas. Meanwhile, 4G is finally beginning to gain traction in the sub-region. The sluggish initial take-up of 4G was mainly due to delays in assigning 4G spectrum to established service providers that have the resources and capability for large-scale network deployment.
In view of the significant contribution of mobile technology and the activities of mobile ecosystem players to socioeconomic development in West Africa, governments and policymakers need to create and implement policies that can drive innovation and investments in new services and much-needed network infrastructure in underserved areas.
Download the Report
Complete the form below to get instant access to this report. For easier access in the future, you can register for a free account here.
Related research
The Mobile Economy North America 2025
Across North America, almost 320 million people are connected to the mobile internet. Around 60% connect through 5G networks, underlining the speed at which the region is migrating to next-generation devices and services.
5G Next: optimising energy in the age of network complexity via integrated dashboards
This Insight Spotlight is part of our 5G Next series, which helps clarify the next phase of 5G and highlights key technological innovations. Energy efficiency is becoming increasingly critical as it directly affects operational costs, while the integration of new network layers can contribute to rising energy consumption. Reducing operational complexity, unlocking actionable insights and transforming billing will be foundational to achieve efficiency, sustainability goals and long-term network resilience in the 5G era and beyond.
5G in Context, Q2 2025
This quarterly review of global 5G developments provides a concise, tracker-style deliverable, presenting key metrics and forecasts in an easy-to-access and engaging way. GSMA Intelligence has aggregated the latest data on 5G connections and adoption, as well as information on network trials/launches and spectrum assignments.
Authors
How to access this report
Annual subscription: Subscribe to our research modules for comprehensive access to more than 200 reports per year.
Enquire about subscriptionContact our research team
Get in touch with us to find out more about our research topics and analysis.
Contact our research teamMedia
To cite our research, please see our citation policy in our Terms of Use, or contact our Media team for more information.
Learn moreRelated research
The Mobile Economy North America 2025
Across North America, almost 320 million people are connected to the mobile internet. Around 60% connect through 5G networks, underlining the speed at which the region is migrating to next-generation devices and services.
5G Next: optimising energy in the age of network complexity via integrated dashboards
This Insight Spotlight is part of our 5G Next series, which helps clarify the next phase of 5G and highlights key technological innovations. Energy efficiency is becoming increasingly critical as it directly affects operational costs, while the integration of new network layers can contribute to rising energy consumption. Reducing operational complexity, unlocking actionable insights and transforming billing will be foundational to achieve efficiency, sustainability goals and long-term network resilience in the 5G era and beyond.
5G in Context, Q2 2025
This quarterly review of global 5G developments provides a concise, tracker-style deliverable, presenting key metrics and forecasts in an easy-to-access and engaging way. GSMA Intelligence has aggregated the latest data on 5G connections and adoption, as well as information on network trials/launches and spectrum assignments.
- 200 reports a year
- 50 million data points
- Over 350 metrics