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Botswana's mobile penetration to hit record high: study

Xinhua, February 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Botswana's telecommunications sector has grown phenomenally over the years and mobile penetration is expected to hit record highs while internet usage will also rise on competition in the market.

An independent study by Fast Market Research has found Botswana has one of the highest mobile market penetration rates in Africa.

The study, titled "Botswana - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Market Insights and Statistics" credits the growth to effective regulatory reforms, which turned the country's telecom market into one of the most liberalized in the region. A prelude of the study said Botswana has a service-neutral licensing or PTO regime which takes into account the increasing convergence of technologies and services.

"Botswana has one of the highest mobile market penetration rates in Africa, approaching 160 percent," said Fast Market Research, which distributes market research and business information.

The three mobile companies namely Mascom, Orange and beMOBILE slug it out for a share in the lucrative telecoms business, taking advantage of the country's strong purchasing power. The media was recently abuzz with news of a war of dominance between Mascom and Orange as both grabbed headlines on 4G offerings.

"With Orange 4G, you will be able to have high quality video conferences. It is going to change the way you are interacting with the digital world," pledged Patrick Benon, Orange Botswana Chief Executive Officer.

Mascom Chief Executive Officer, Jose Couciero responded: "We will be launching LTE 4G very soon."

On the other hand, Fast Market Research revealed after a period of stagnation, the number of internet users has risen strongly in recent years, largely as a result of lower prices following improvements in international connectivity.

"Historically, the landlocked country has depended on satellites for its international bandwidth, and on other countries for transit capacity to landing points of international submarine fiber optic cable systems," it said.

"The landing of additional cables in the region in 2011 and 2012 has improved the competitive situation in this sector, while prices for connectivity have fallen by up to 70 percent."

In this regard, mobile phone companies are competing with a large number of ISPs, some of which have rolled out their own wireless access infrastructure. Endi