A statement has been released by the Global System for Mobile Telecommunications Association (GSMA) that approximately 28 million devices in Sub-Saharan Africa which represent a total of 2.7% of total connections will be in connection to the 5G network by 2025.
Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at GSMA said this in a Huawei online interview with journalists across Africa.
Goodluck further explained flooding of the 5G network when it finally finds it way to the economy market of Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said: “We will see little 5G hotspots in countries like South Africa. I know that some operators have started some of those things, but the ultimate goal will be for us to fill up the 4G pipes and then when 5G comes there will be a sort of limit in terms of wireless roll-outs, but the bottom line is governments need to aggressively focus on the roll-out and adoption of the 4G as markets become more sophisticated, demand will help governments to put in the right policies to support 5G.”
In the 2019 State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report that was released by GSMA, it was clearly shown that global internet penetration has moved beyond 50%, with Africa at 24%. In furtherance, mobile internet users’ population will increase to 483 million by 2025, representing 66% of total smartphone connections.
Subsequently, mobile subscribers will increase to 623 million by 2025, which will be representing 50% penetration rate as against 444 million in 2017 and 456 million in 2018.
At the meantime, more than two-thirds of the population are in connection to the internet in North America and Europe, where as, access levels remain below a third in Africa, India and most parts of the sub-continent.
Goodluck reiterates the reports on why many governments in Africa were proffering solutions to the challenge at the wake of human population explosion with wider network coverage.
