Mobile subscriptions to hit 152 million by 2016 – Report

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A report has said that mobile phone subscriptions in Nigeria will hit 152 million by 2016, while the figure will reach 118 million and 80.6 million in Egypt and

A report has said that mobile phone subscriptions in Nigeria will hit 152 million by 2016, while the figure will reach 118 million and 80.6 million in Egypt and South Africa respectively within the same period.

The report by a business research firm, Informa Telecoms and Media, said major mobile phone operators were racing for territory in Africa with the region becoming the second most connected in the world in mobile terms, after Asia-Pacific, and having the highest growth potential.

It said that at the end of 2010, Africa was in fourth place among mobile regions, but just nine months later, it had 616 million mobile subscriptions, overtaking Western Europe during the second quarter of 2011, and the Americas in the third.

It forecast that Africa would cross the one billion subscriptions mark in 2016, with most people having two SIM cards (the number of unique users is expected to be about 572 million).

Informa’s Head of MEA mobile research, Mr. Matthew Reed, said in the report, "This shows Africa becoming a powerhouse in terms of absolute mobile subscriptions, not just high growth rates from a small base, as was the common pattern in the previous decade. The rise has been driven by digital-divide initiatives, lower cost devices and services, growing middle classes, and the fact that, in many rural areas, wireless is the main form of Internet access because of limited wire line infrastructure build-out.