Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest level of mobile broadband coverage in the world; only 63% of the region’s population lived within reach of a 3G network at the end of 2017. It also has the lowest level of mobile internet penetration at only 21% which means that there are a significant number of people who live in areas that are covered, but they are not using mobile internet.
This report is based on a qualitative study that investigates how the mobile industry can trigger mobile internet uptake among those who are not currently using it, but appear economically and technically able to do so. Two distinct countries in Sub-Saharan Africa were selected: Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. As in the rest of the region, mobile internet adoption in these countries is lagging behind network coverage. The findings are supplemented with data from the GSMA Consumer Survey 2017 and the GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index 2018. The report ultimately provides strategic recommendations on how the industry can trigger mobile internet uptake among those who are not currently using mobile internet, but appear economically and technically able to do so.