Sonatel, a subsidiary of France Telecom/Orange, announced in its 2011 annual report that its subsidiaries in Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau achieved a 15% increase in their combined broadband internet subscriber base to reach a total of 106,811 by December 2011.
- The Senegalese fixed-line incumbent, Sonatel, provides international bandwidth for its subsidiaries in Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea Conakry.
- Once the ACE submarine cable enters service later this year, Guinea Conakry will also have its own landing station, which is expected to increase the uptake of broadband services dramatically.
In Senegal, Sonatel reported 92,713 broadband subscribers by 31 December 2011, a 14% increase compared to 82,870 in 2010 (source: Sonatel). According to the latest statistics released by the regulator ARTP, Senegal reached 188,258 paying internet subscribers by 30 June 2011, compared to 148,745 in December 2010 (see Senegal: 8 November 2011: Senegal Reaches 94,355 ADSL Subscribers in June). This total of 188,258 included 94,355 ADSL subscribers (82,185 in December 2010), 53,678 3G subscribers (24,140 in December 2010), 40,225 dial-up subscribers (42,420 in December 2010), and 465 leased lines (444 in December 2010).
Sonatel Broadband Internet Subscribers 2009–11 | ||||
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Growth 2010–11 (%) | |
Senegal | 57,000 | 81,327 | 92,713 | 14 |
Mali | 7,000 | 9,652 | 11,731 | 22 |
Guinea Conakry | na | na | 1,268 | na |
Guinea-Bissau | na | na | 1,099 | 16 |
Total | 64,052 | 91,854 | 106,811 | 15 |
Source: Sonatel, France Telecom/Orange. | ||||
Orange Mali reported 11,731 WiMAX subscribers, a 22% increase compared to 2010 and a net increase of 2,079 subscribers (source: Sonatel). Meanwhile, fixed-line incumbent SOTELMA (Société des Télécommunications du Mali) reported 37,000 broadband internet subscribers by 31 December 2011, an 88% increase compared to 20,000 in March 2011 (see Sub-Saharan Africa: 27 February 2012: Maroc Telecom Reports 9.6 Mil. Sub-Saharan African Mobile Subscribers in December 2011).
Orange Guinea reported 1,268 WiMAX subscribers, a 22% increase compared to 2010 and a net increase of 862 subscribers (source: Sonatel). Orange Guinea has also launched GPRS and EDGE networks in Conakry (the capital) and the country's main towns (Labé, Kindia, Mamou, Kamsar), and in December 2011 launched 3G, which it plans to roll out to the rest of the country. Orange Bissau reported 1,099 subscribers by December 2011 (source: Sonatel), two years after launching broadband internet services in 2009. The operator says that it has an 80% share of the internet market (source: France Telecom).
Our Take
The Sonatel group's broadband subscriber base is expected to increase significantly with the entry into service of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable later in 2012. The France Telecom-led ACE consortium signed the landmark Construction and Maintenance Agreement for the deployment of the cable in June 2010 and it is due to enter service in late 2012 (see Sub-Saharan Africa: 9 June 2010: ACE Consortium Signs Construction and Maintenance Agreement for African Submarine Cable). The ACE consortium includes Sonatel, Orange Guinea Conakry, and Orange Mali, along with other operators. ACE will notably be the first submarine cable to land in Guinea Conakry. Orange Mali and Orange Bissau will connect to the cable through terrestrial links.
Sonatel also reported that its mobile subsidiaries in Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau achieved a 30% increase in their combined subscriber base to reach 14.153 million by December 2011 (see sub-Saharan Africa: 5 April 2012: Sonatel Group Reports 30% Increase to Reach 14.153 Mil. Mobile Subscribers in December 2011).