The total number of mobile SIMs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is forecasted, according to Dataxis latest research, to exceed 1 billion by 2023, from around 800 million in 2017.
This growth follows the steady increase observed in the SSA mobile market for many years and will mainly be driven by the internet enabled SIMs. Among them, 3G and 4G subscribers are anticipated to jump from 35% of the total mobile subscribers in 2017 to 57% in 2023. Even though 3G is projected to remain the principal technology enabling mobile internet access, 4G’s share will increase to reach almost 40% of Internet mobile SIMs.
This shift derives from the infrastructure development combined with the significant drop in mobile data prices that are expected in the upcoming years.
The improved accessibility and affordability of 3G and 4G bundles could pave the way to a surge in Over-The-Top (OTT) offers aimed at meeting the rising demand in the region.
