Our latest Global Trends benchmark on 5G in sub-Saharan Africa published in February 2024 shows progress in 5G plans and related efforts at least in some of the 21 countries covered, with many new developments since August 2023.

The benchmark analyses:

• government strategies and policies for 5G network deployment;
• 5G spectrum plans and assignments by national regulatory authorities; and
• relevant examples of operators’ 5G trials or commercial offers.

The 21 jurisdictions covered in this analysis represent over 80% of the total population of sub-Saharan Africa and almost 70% of the entire African continent.

In some countries the government has been playing a key role to modernise the mobile infrastructure at national level, including by making available international mobile telecommunications (IMT) spectrum for 4G and 5G deployments.

Industry has also been playing a key role, with non-standalone 5G network services already launched commercially by at least one MNO in nine countries covered in this benchmark. Commercial availability of 5G services remains, however, limited to selected urban areas. In nine other sub-Saharan countries one or more MNOs tested the 5G technology.

The countries covered in this benchmark are: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

For more information and to access to the benchmark, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to the Global Trends service.