(Ecofin Agency) – An improvement in mobile Internet use could boost Africa’s overall GDP by around USD 795 billion between 2023 and 2030, according to a study by the GSM Association. The authorities of certain countries on the continent are quite aware of this potential for economic benefits.
According to a report on the experience of mobile networks in 27 African states published Monday November 11, 2024 by mobile data analyst Opensignal and consulted by We Are Tech Africathe country with the highest mobile internet speed is South Africa, with an average of 34.5 Mbps. This is 50% faster than in Zimbabwe, and 4 times faster than in Angola.
According to Opensignal, this gap is, among other things, due to the disparity in investments in network infrastructure. Countries like Mali, Angola and Zimbabwe still heavily use 2G with limited connection speed and incompatible with the use of several latest generation mobile applications, while the rainbow nation has agreed to efforts to popularize 4G and 5G technologies.
Concerning consistent quality, an index of stability required for video calls among others, South Africa and Tunisia have good scores, respectively 58.6% and 57.6%. The CQ scores are nevertheless lower than 30% in more than 13 of the countries analyzed, notably in Cameroon and Mali, which suggests unstable connectivity and a handicap for the user experience.
The report suggests that governments must “ invest in infrastructure, ensure efficient spectrum allocation, create supportive regulatory frameworks, improve digital skills and promote wider adoption of 4G and 5G technologies ”, among others.
Business
