186mn set to be connected to mobile broadband in East Africa by 2022
According to the UK-based consultancy firm, Ovum, collectively all nine East African nations will have 186mn people connected to mobile broadband by 2022.
Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda will make up 60.2% of all connectivity in the review period, with 112mn subscriptions to mobile broadband.
The predictions are outlined in Ovum’s Forecaster data service, which suggests the growth will be powered by increased deployment.
The company also claims that a rise in smartphone penetration because of the technology becoming more affordable, and 3G and 4G LTE networks being upgrade with push the growth.
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Ovum’s Forecaster also anticipates that by 2022, there will be 32mn LTE subscriptions in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as 108mn smartphone connections.
“The East African region has made great progress in broadband connectivity over the last few years, and this has unlocked great potential in digital services segment, including mobile financial services, digital media as well as enterprise services,” stated Danson Njue, Research Analyst for the Middle East and Africa at Ovum.
“However, the growth in broadband connectivity has also seen a rise in OTT services thereby increasing chances of data revenue cannibalization for data service providers in the region.”
The East African nations include Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
