GSMA：2024年撒哈拉以南非洲移动经济报告 The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2024

TheMobileEconomy

Sub-SaharanAfrica2024

Contents

Executivesummary

2

1.

Themobileindustryinnumbers

10

2.

Mobileindustrytrends

21

2.1

5G:advancedtechnologiesarealong-termprospect

22

2.2

Operatingenvironment:challengesunderpinmarketconsolidationtrend

24

2.3

Satellite:momentumbuildsbehindaerialconnectivity

27

2.4

GenerativeAI:exploringusecasesandgrowingpartnerships

29

2.5

GSMAOpenGateway:operatorsaimtounlocknewmonetisationopportunities

31

3.

Mobileindustryimpact

33

3.1

Expandingruralconnectivity

34

3.2

Themobileindustry’simpactontheSDGs

35

4.Mobileindustryenablers37

4.1Improvingtheaffordabilityofmobileservicestoclosethe38

connectivitygap

4.2Usinguniversalservicefundseffectively40

4.3Adoptingspectrumpolicyforinclusivedigitaldevelopment42

Executive

summary

Drivinggrowthandinnovation

Mobileconnectivityisakeydriverofdigital

transformationandsocioeconomicgrowthin

Sub-SaharanAfrica.Governmentsandbusinessesareincreasinglyusing4Gand5Gnetworks

alongsidetechnologiessuchasAIandIoTto

enhanceproductivityandservicedelivery.

Despitegrowingdemandformobile,asignificantusagegappersists.Thisunderscorestheneed

foreffortsbyoperatorstoaddressthebarrierstomobileinternetadoption,suchasdevice

affordability,onlinesafetyanddigitalskills.

Theadoptionof4Gcontinuestoriseinthe

regionandisforecasttoaccountfor50%oftotalconnectionsby2030.5Gadoptionisacceleratingandforecasttocontribute$10billiontothe

region'seconomyby2030,accountingfor6%ofmobile'stotaleconomicimpact.Meanwhile,themobileecosystemsupported1.5millionjobsdirectlyandmorethan2.2millionjobsinothersectorsin2023.

Executivesummary2/46

Keytrendsshaping

themobileecosystem

5G:advancedtechnologiesremainafutureprospect

Operatorsinpioneer5Gmarketsaroundthe

worldareincreasinglymovingtowardsmore

advancedformsof5Gtounlocknewusecasesandmonetisationopportunities.However,suchtechnologiesremainadistantprospectinSub-SaharanAfrica.Operatorsneedtoprovethe

businesscasefortheirinitial5Ginvestments

(usingnon-standalonearchitecture)before

committingtomoreadvancedformsofthe

technology.Operatorsandtheirpartnersalsoneedtoacceleratethedevelopmentofrelevant5Gusecasesandapplicationsforenterprisesintheregion.

Industryincontext:challengesleadtomarketconsolidation

ThetelecomsindustryinSub-SaharanAfrica

facessignificantchallenges,drivingmarket

consolidation.Keyissuesincludeinflationand

currencyvolatility(whichincreasecapitalcosts),highsector-specifictaxationforoperators,andescalatingenergycostsduetounreliablegridsandarelianceondiesel.Suchfactorsplace

considerablefinancialpressureonoperators,resultinginmarketexitsorconsolidationsinsomeinstances.Thechallengingenvironmentthreatensinvestmentinthesector,whichis

crucialiftheregion'sdigitaldivideistobereduced.

Investmentinthesectoriscrucialiftheregion'sdigitaldivideistobe

reduced

Executivesummary

3/46

Aerialconnectivity:interestgrowsintheevolvingNTNmarket

AerialconnectivitywillplayanimportantroleinrealisinguniversalconnectivityinSub-Saharan

Africa.Althoughsatellitesolutionshavebeen

offeredforseveraldecades,theemergenceof

lowEarthorbit(LEO)andhigh-altitudeplatformsystems(HAPS)hasspurredinterestinnon-

terrestrialnetworks(NTNs).SpaceX’sStarlinkhasbeenexpandingrapidlyacrosstheregion.Mobileoperatorsarealsoactiveinaerialconnectivity

–mostlythroughpartnershipswithsatellitecompanies.

GenerativeAI:operatorsmovetorealiseitspotential

AsdigitaltransformationacceleratesinSub-

SaharanAfrica,AIiscomingtothefore.The

UnitedNationsforecastsitcouldcontribute

upto$1.5trilliontotheregion'seconomyby

2030.MobileoperatorsaregraduallyadoptinggenerativeAI(genAI),focusingoncustomer

service,networkoptimisationandoperational

efficiency.Strategicpartnershipsareunderwaytohelpoperatorsmaximisethevalueofthenew

technology.Despitemomentum,challengespersist,includingashortageofskilledAI

professionalsanddataprivacyconcerns.

GSMAOpenGateway:momentumbuilds

AlthoughithasbeenpossibletoexposenetworkAPIsforsometime,operatorshavestruggled

toadoptastandardisedapproachthatachievesscale.However,recentinitiativesbythemobile

industryhavesoughttoprovidefreshmomentumbehinddevelopingacommonsetofnetwork

APIs.ByJune2024,53operatorgroups

hadsigneduptotheGSMAOpenGateway

initiative,representing240mobilenetworks

andaccountingfor67%ofmobileconnectionsglobally.

OperatorcommitmentsarebeginningtotranslateintocommerciallyavailablenetworkAPIs.In

February2024,SouthAfricabecamethefirstcountryinSub-SaharanAfricatoimplementOpenGatewayAPIswhenCellC,MTNand

TelkomlaunchedtheNumberVerificationandSIMSwapAPIs,withapplicationsinfrauddetection

anddigitalsecurity.

Executivesummary

4/46

Policiesforgrowthandinnovation

Despiteastrongappetiteformobileintheregion,Sub-SaharanAfricahasahighusagegapof60%–thehighestintheworld.Thissuggestschallengesinfulfillingthenear-universalbroadband

connectivityenvisagedbygovernmentsinthe

AfricanUnion’sDigitalTransformationStrategy

ForAfrica2020–2030.Toaddressthechallenges,policymakerscanlooktothefollowingactions:

•Improvetheaffordabilityofmobileservicestoclosetheconnectivitygap–Urgentreformtotaxationisneededtoaddresstheaffordabilityofmobileserviceandsmartphones,whichisakeybarriertomobilebroadbandadoption.

•Useuniversalservicefunds(USFs)effectively

–InsightsfromaGSMAstudyshowthatmanyUSFsinAfricaareunderperformingandhavebecomeineffectiveinclosingtheconnectivitygap.ItisimperativetoreformstructuralandoperationalaspectsofUSFsacrossAfricatoimprovetheireffectiveness.

•Implementtherightspectrumpoliciesfor

inclusivedigitaldevelopment–Operatorsneednewspectrumcapacitytoprovideconsistent

speedstomoreusersas5Gservicesexpand.

Therightamountofcapacityhelpsminimise

thenumberofbasestationsneeded,whichcankeepcostsdownandsaveoncarbonemissions.TheoutcomeofWRC-23providesthenextstepsontheroadtoenablinglow-andmid-band

spectrumtobeusedfor4Gand5Gconnectivity.Thisspectrumnowneedstobeincorporated

intothelong-termspectrumroadmapsofadministrations.

Urgentreformis

neededtoaddresstheaffordabilityofmobileserviceandsmartphones

Executivesummary

5/46

TheMobileEconomySub-SaharanAfrica

Mobileinternet

users

2023

320m

27%penetrationrate*

2030

518m

37%penetrationrate*

CAGR

2023-2030

6.2%

*Percentageofpopulation

4G

Percentageofconnections

(excludinglicensedcellularIoT)

202331%

50%

Uniquemobile

subscribers

2023527m

44%penetrationrate*

2030751m

53%penetrationrate*

CAGR

2023-2030

*Percentageofpopulation

4.5%

2030

Percentageofconnections

(excludinglicensedcellularIoT)

5G

1.2%

17%

2023

4.1%

2030

SIM

connections

(excludinglicensedcellularIoT)

20231.0bn

88%penetrationrate*

20301.4bn

103%penetrationrate*

CAGR

2023-2030

*Percentageofpopulation

51%

81%

Operator

revenuesand

investment

bn

2030$61bn

$62bn

Operatorcapexfortheperiod2023–2030:

Totalrevenues

2030

2023

Smartphones

Percentageofconnections

2023

Public

funding

2023

$20bn

Mobileecosystemcontributiontopublicfunding(beforeregulatoryandspectrumfees)

Licensedcellular

IoTconnections

202327m

203051m

Mobile's

contributiontoGDP

$140bn

7%ofGDP

$170bn

2030

2023

Employment

1.5mjobs

Directlysupportedbythemobileecosystem

Plus2.2mindirectjobs

2023

Subscriberandtechnologytrends

ECCAS

Technologymix*

9%4%

26026232%

2030

2G3G

Subscriberpenetration2023

36%

46%

520430

4G●5G

35%

2030

Smartphoneadoption2023

42%

69%

Subscriberpenetration2023

ECOWAS

48%

57%

2030

Smartphoneadoption2023

54%

2030

83%

Technologymix*

0.6%13%

2623

.2G.3G

134

●4G●5G

2030

60%

34%

1%

Subscriberpenetration2023

SADC

Technologymix*

2%

43%

51%

2.4%14%

22

9%

27%

2030

2030

Smartphoneadoption2023

45%

53%

81%

323

2030

49%

●4G●5G

.2G.3G

EAC

Subscriberpenetration2023

Technologymix*

4%

0.4%19%12%

232304403040%

2030

.2G.3G4G5G

Smartphoneadoption2023

40%

76%

40%

49%

58%44%

2030

Ethiopia

Subscriberpenetration2023

Technologymix*

<1%

0.8%1%

41%K5720112357%

2030

●2G.3G

·69%K10120

Smartphoneadoption2023

10%20%

40%

50%

36%

80%

4G5G

2030

2030

*Percentageoftotalconnections(excludinglicensedcellularIoT)Note:Totalsmaynotaddupduetorounding.

8/46

Executivesummary

Executivesummary9/46

01

Themobileindustryinnumbers

Theusagegapin

Sub-SaharanAfricaremainssignificant,at60%

Bytheendof2023,nearly44%ofthepopulationinSub-SaharanAfricasubscribedtoamobile

service,amountingto527millionsubscribers.Mobileinternetpenetrationhasbeengrowing,reaching27%intheregionbytheendof2023.

Despiteprogress,theusagegapremains

significant,at60%.Mobileoperatorsandother

stakeholderscontinuetoimplementinitiativestoreduceboththeusageandcoveragegaps,with

thegoalofenhancingdigitalinclusionanddrivingeconomicdevelopmentacrosstheregion.

Thelandscapeformobileinternetconnectivity

variessignificantlyacrossSub-SaharanAfrica.

IncountriessuchasChad,theCentralAfrican

RepublicandMozambique,penetrationlevels

remainbelow15%,whileinmoreadvancedmarketssuchasSouthAfricaandSeychelles,penetration

exceeds50%.Themainchallengescontributingtothisdisparityincludeaffordability(particularlythecostofsmartphones)andlimiteddigitalskills.

Figure1

Sub-SaharanAfrica:connectivity,usagegapandcoveragegap,2023

Percentageofpopulation

Coveragegap

Usagegap

Connected

230m

19%

Connectedto

mobileinternetwith

smartphone

90m

8%

Connectedto

mobileinternetbutnotviasmartphone

210m

18%

Covered,havea

phone,butnotusing

mobileinternet

500m

42%

Covered,butno

devicetousemobile

internet

160m

13%

Notcoveredbya

mobilebroadband

network

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Themobileindustryinnumbers

11/46

By2030,halfof

connectionsin

Sub-SaharanAfricawillbeon4G

Bytheendofthedecade,4GadoptioninSub-

SaharanAfricaisexpectedtoreach50%,makingitthedominanttechnology.Although3Gcurrently

accountsforthelargestproportionoftotal

connections,4Gisprojectedtoovertake3Gby2027.

5Gisgatheringmomentumintheregion,with

operatorsinvestinginnetworkmodernisationto

prepareforitsdeployment.InMarch2024,SomtelandTelesombecamethefirstmobileoperatorsinSomaliatolaunchcommercial5Gservices,with

initialrolloutsinthecountry’scapital,Hargeisa.

5Gadoptionintheregionisexpectedtogain

momentuminthesecondhalfofthisdecade,risingto17%by2030.

AscountriesinSub-SaharanAfricatransitiontomoreadvancedtechnologiessuchas4Gand

5G,SouthAfricastandsoutastheonlycountrytoannounceplanstosunsetbothits2Gand3Gnetworks(by2027).

Figure2

Sub-SaharanAfrica:mobileadoptionbytechnology

Percentageoftotalconnections

20%

5G17%

10%

0%

20232024202520262027202820292030

Source:GSMAIntelligence

4G50%

3G31%

2G2%

40%

60%

30%

50%

Themobileindustryinnumbers

12/46

By2030,5G

adoptionwillreach17%inSub-Saharan

Africa

Thepaceof5GadoptioninSub-SaharanAfrica

variessignificantlyacrosstheregion.SouthAfrica,NigeriaandKenyawillaccountformorethanhalfofall5Gconnectionsin2030.Althoughthegrowthof5Gintheregionwillbesteady,alargershare

ofthecustomerbasewillstillbemigratingto4G,whichwillremainthedominanttechnologyfor

sometime.

Tomeetincreasingdemandforbroadband,FWAisemergingasapivotaltechnology.FWAcanactasaprimarybroadbandconnectionandhelpimprovecoverageintheregion.While4GFWAhasbeen

afirststep,5G’spotentialiscomingtothefore,offeringfibre-likespeeds.5GFWAserviceshavealreadybeenlaunchedinAngola,SouthAfrica,Nigeria,Kenya,ZambiaandZimbabwe.

Figure3

5Gadoption

Percentageoftotalconnections

2024–2030increase

2023

5Gconnections

(2030)

95%93%90%88%

80%

54%44%

40%

17%

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Europe

LatinAmericaRestofMENA

RestofAsiaPacific

DevelopedAsiaPacific

Sub-SaharanAfrica

NorthAmerica

GreaterChina

GCCstates

1.14bn

1.81bn

340m

306m

426m

250m

656m

461m

99m

Themobileindustryinnumbers

13/46

MobiledatatrafficperconnectioninSub-SaharanAfricatoquadruplebytheendofthedecade

Mobiledatatrafficwillgrowbyalmost6GBper

connection,permonthinSub-SaharanAfrica

between2023and2030.Thiswillbedrivenbytheexpansionofmobilebroadbandnetworkcoverage,greateraccesstosmartphones,andrisingdemandfordata-intensivecontentsuchasgamingand

videostreaming.

GrowthwillbefastestintheECCASregion,led

byAngola,ChadandEquatorialGuinea,allof

whichareexpectedtorecordamorethan10-foldincreaseinmobiledatatrafficduringtheperiod.Thatsaid,mobiledatatrafficperconnectionin

ECCASwillremainbelowaverageinSub-SaharanAfrica,reflectingthelowerlevelsof4Gand5G

penetrationinECCAScomparedwithSADCandECOWAS.

Figure4

Mobiledatatraffic

GBpermonth

Region20232030Increase

SADC

1.7

7.2

×4.2

ECOWAS

2.4

10.1

×4.2

ECCAS

1.1

6.8

×6.0

EAC

1.5

5.9

×4.0

Sub-SaharanAfrica

1.9

8.0

×4.2

Global

13.0

48.0

×3.7

TopfivesmartphonemarketsinSub-SaharanAfrica,2030

Numberofsmartphoneconnections

NigeriaSouthAfricaEthiopia

Tanzania

Kenya

230m140m97m

92m

72m

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Themobileindustryinnumbers

14/46

Licensedcellular

IoTconnectionsinSub-SaharanAfricawillalmostdoublebetween2023

and2030

By2030,Sub-SaharanAfricaisforecastto

havemorethan50millionlicensedcellularIoT

connections,withSouthAfricacontributingmorethan50%tothetotal.Theexpansionof4Gand5GnetworksintheregionwilldrivesignificantgrowthinIoTapplications.Governmentinitiativesaspartofsmart-cityprogrammesarealsohelpingboostIoTdeployments.

Mobileoperatorsarehelpingthedevelopmentofsmartcitysolutionsbyprovidingconnectivityandbuildingnewusecasesthroughpartnerships.In

Sub-SaharanAfrica,smartutilityIoTconnectionswillincreasealmostsix-foldbetween2021and

2030,ashighlightedbyGSMAresearch.1By

2030,utilitieswillaccountfornearly30%ofIoTconnectionsintheregion.OperatorshavebeencollaboratingintrialsdeployingIoTsolutions,

withmanyusinglow-power,widearea(LPWA)networks.

Figure5

Sub-SaharanAfrica:licensedcellularIoTconnections

Million

Ethiopia

Kenya

Nigeria

RestofSub-SaharanAfrica

SouthAfrica

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

20232024202520262027202820292030

Source:GSMAIntelligence

1.IoTandEssentialUtilityServices:Opportunitiesinlow-andmiddle-incomecountries,GSMA,2023

Themobileindustryinnumbers

15/46

By2030,mobile

revenueswill

reach$61billioninSub-SaharanAfrica

Mobilerevenueshavebeengrowingsteadilyintheregion.Growthisbeingdrivenbytheexpansionof4Gand5Gnetworks,theriseintheuseofmobiledata,andthegrowingadoptionoftechnologies

suchasIoT.Annualmobilerevenuegrowthis

expectedtostayinpositiveterritorythroughto2030.

MobileoperatorsinSub-SaharanAfricahaveinvestedmorethan$28billioninmobilecapexoverthepastfiveyears,withmobilecapex/

revenueat19%attheendof2023.

Figure6

Sub-SaharanAfrica:mobilerevenuesandcapex-to-revenueratio

Revenuemm

Capextorevenue(%)

Billion

19%

15%

15%

16%

●

17%

●

17%

●

15%

●

12%

20232024202520262027202820292030

Source:GSMAIntelligence

$40

$60

$30

$50

$20

$70

$10

$0

Themobileindustryinnumbers

16/46

Themobilesectoradded$140billionofeconomicvalueinSub-Saharan

Africain2023

In2023,mobiletechnologiesandservices

generated7.3%ofGDPacrossSub-SaharanAfrica,acontributionthatamountedto$140billionof

economicvalueadded.Thegreatestbenefitscamefromtheproductivityeffectsgeneratedbytheuseofmobileservicesacrosstheeconomy,reaching

$90billion.Thedirectcontributionbythemobileecosystemwasalsosignificant,at$40billion.

Themobileecosystemcomprisesthree

categories:mobileoperators,infrastructureandequipmentproviders;andcontentandservices.Theinfrastructureandequipmentcategory

includesnetworkequipmentproviders,devicemanufacturersandIoTcompanies.Meanwhile,

contentandservicesencompassescontent,mobileapplicationandserviceproviders,distributorsandretailers,andmobilecloudservices.

Figure7

Sub-SaharanAfrica:totaleconomiccontributionofthemobileindustry,2023

Billion,percentageof2023GDP

Mobileecosystem

$5

$30

$5

0.4%

0.4%

1.6%

Contentandservices

Mobile

operators

Infrastructure

and

equipment

providers

$90$140

4.2%

7.3%

$10

0.6%

IndirectProductivityTotal

Note:Totalsmaynotaddupduetorounding.

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Themobileindustryinnumbers

17/46

Attheendofthe

decade,mobile’s

economiccontributionwillreach$170billioninSub-SaharanAfrica

By2030,mobile’scontributionwillreach

$170billioninSub-SaharanAfrica,driven

mostlybythecontinuedexpansionofthe

mobileecosystemandverticalsincreasinglybenefittingfromtheimprovementsin

productivityandefficiencybroughtaboutbythetake-upofmobileservices.

Figure8

Sub-SaharanAfrica:economicimpactofmobile

Billion

$170

$140

20232030

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Themobileecosystemin

Sub-SaharanAfrica

supportedaround3.7millionjobsin2023

Mobileoperatorsandthewidermobileecosystemprovideddirectemploymenttoaround1.5million

peopleinSub-SaharanAfricain2023.Inaddition,economicactivityintheecosystemgenerated

morethan2.2millionjobsinothersectors,meaningalmost4millionjobsweredirectlyorindirectly

supported.

Figure9

Sub-SaharanAfrica:employmentimpactofthemobileindustry,2023

Jobs(million)

2.2

3.7

1.5

DirectIndirectTotal

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Themobileindustryinnumbers

18/46

Thefiscal

contributionofthemobileecosystemreached$20billionin2023

In2023,themobilesectorinSub-SaharanAfricamadeasubstantialcontributiontothefundingofthepublicsector,withalmost$20billionraised

throughtaxes.Thelargercontributioncamefromservices,VAT,salestaxesandexciseduties,whichgenerated$10billion,followedbycorporatetaxesonprofitsat$5billion.

Figure10

Sub-SaharanAfrica:fiscalcontributionofthemobileindustry,2023

Billion

$1

$5

$3

$20

$10

HandsetVAT,

salestaxes,

exciseand

customsduties

Note:Totalsmaynotaddupduetorounding.

Source:GSMAIntelligence

Employment

taxesandsocial

security

ServicesVAT,

salestaxesand

exciseduties

Corporatetaxesonprofits

Total

Themobileindustryinnumbers

19/46

5Gwilladd

$10billiontotheeconomyin

Sub-SaharanAfricain2030

5G’scontributiontotheeconomyinSub-SaharanAfricaisexpectedtoreach$10billionin2030,

accountingfor6%oftheoveralleconomicimpactofmobile.Muchofthiswillmaterialiseoverthe

nextfiveyears.Towardstheendofthedecade,5Geconomicbenefitswillleveloffasthetechnologystartstoachievescaleandwidespreadadoption.

While5Gisexpectedtobenefitmostsectorsof

theSub-SaharanAfricaneconomy,someindustrieswillbenefitmorethanothersduetotheirability

toincorporate5Gusecasesintheirbusiness.

Overthenextsevenyears,30%ofthebenefits

areexpectedtooriginatefromthemanufacturingsector,drivenbyapplicationsincludingsmart

factories,smartgridsandIoT-enabledproducts.Othersectorsthatwillexperiencesignificant

benefitsaretheinformation&communicationindustryandthepublicadministrationsectorat13%and7%,respectively.

Figure11

Sub-SaharanAfrica:annual5Gcontributionbyindustry

Billion

Other

Constructionandrealestate

Finance

Informationandcommunication

Services

Publicadministration

Manufacturing

$12

$10

$8

$6

$4

$2

$0

33%

7%

5%

13%

6%

7%

30%

20232024202520262027202820292030

Source:GSMAIntelligence

20/46

Themobileindustryinnumbers

02

Mobileindustrytrends

2.1

5G:advancedtechnologiesarea

long-termprospect

5Gtechnologyisnowavailableinmorethan100

countriesaroundtheworld.AsofSeptember

2024,285operatorsin114countrieshadlaunchedmobile5Gservices.Thenumberof5Gconnectionswillreach2billiongloballybytheendof2024,

accountingfornearlyaquarteroftotalmobile

connections.Inseveralcountries,notablyChina,SouthKoreaandtheUS,5Gadoptionhasreachedmass-marketlevels.IntheUS,5Gisexpectedto

accountfornearlytwothirdsoftotalconnectionsbytheendof2024.

Aroundtheworld,FWAcontinuestobean

importantusecasefor5G,inboththeconsumerandenterprisesegments.5GFWAisparticularlyneededinareaswhereconsumersandenterpriseshavelittlechoiceofproviderorwherefibre

deploymentmaynotbecosteffective.Thisis

particularlytrueinSub-SaharanAfrica,where

demandforenhancedconnectivityisnotbeingmetbyotherconnectivitysolutions,particularlyfibre.5GFWAispresentinmorethanhalfofthe34live5Gnetworksacross21countriesinthe

region,asofSeptember2024.

Takingstepstowardsadvanced5Gtechnologies

Operatorsinpioneer5Gmarketsaroundtheworldareincreasinglymovingtomoreadvancedformsof5Gtounlocknewusecasesandmonetisation

opportunities.However,thesetechnologies

remainadistantprospectinSub-SaharanAfrica.

Operatorselsewherehavestarteddeploying5Gnetworksbasedonstandalone(SA)architecture,whichofferscapabilitiesincludingnetwork

slicing–allocatingnetworkresourcesdynamicallyaccordingtospecificservice-levelagreements.

AsofJune2024,52operatorsaroundtheworldhadlaunchedcommercial5GSAnetworks,withafurther10expectedtolaunchin2024.

Operatorsinotherregionshavealsostarted

testingandimplementing5Greducedcapability

(RedCap)solutions,whichserveasaplatformforthesuccessfulmigrationofIoTapplicationsto5Gnetworks.3GPPRelease17introducedtheRedCapuserequipmentcategoryforenergy-andcost-

efficient5GIoTconnectivity(alsoknownas5G

NR-Light).ThereducedcomplexityofNR-Lightdevicescontributestocost-efficiency,asmallerdevicefootprintandlongerbatterylifeduetolowerpowerconsumption.ArangeofusecaseswillbenefitfromRedCap–notably,wearables,videomonitoringandtelematics.

Operatorsarealsolookingtoleverage

5G-Advancedtodelivernewsolutionsfor

consumersandenterprises.Aspartof3GPP

Release18in2024,5G-Advancedisthenext

milestoneinthe5Geraandwillenhancemobilitybyenablinguplinkandmulticastwithbetter

latency.Thiswillincreaseaccuracyforextendedreality(XR)applicationsandimprovethe

reliabilityofAI/MLdata-drivendesigns.TheGSMAIntelligenceNetworkTransformationSurvey2023showsthat5Gmulticastandlow-costIoTtop

thelistof5G-Advancedusecasesforoperators(Figure12).

Mobileindustrytrends

22/46

Figure12

5G-Advanced:5Gmulticastandlow-costIoTarepriorityusecases

Which5G-Advancedusecasesandapplicationsaremostimportanttoyournetworktransformationpriorities?(Toptwochoices)

Percentageofoperators(globally)

5Gmulticastservices

Low-costIoTsupport

Enhancedintegrationwithsatelliteresources

Enhancedintegrationwithdroneresources

Improveddevicepositioningaccuracy

ImprovedAR/VRsupport

Source:GSMAIntelligenceOperatorsinFocus:NetworkTransformationSurvey2023

52%29%

23%45%

Rank1

Rank2

20%

18%

4%

4%

2%

2%

1%

Theshifttomoreadvancedformsof5Gis

progressingslowlyinSub-SaharanAfrica.

Operatorsneedtoprovethebusinesscasefortheirinitial5Ginvestmentsbeforecommitting

tomoreadvancedforms.Thatsaid,thereare

signsthatsomeoperatorsintheregionarekeentoexplorethepotentialofadvancedformsof

5G.InJune2024,MTNSouthAfricaandHuawei

signedamemorandumofunderstandingfor

strategiccooperationonNet5.5G,whichthe

vendorsayscanofferspeeds10timesfasterthan5G(deliveringpeakuplinkratesof1Gbpsand

downlinkratesof10Gbps).Itcanalsoimprove

latencyandenablemassivemachine-typecommunications.

Privatenetworksofferarouteintotheenterprisemarket

Manyadvanced5Gtechnologiesareparticularlysuitedtousecasesandapplicationsinthe

enterprisesegment.Operatorsandtheirpartnersneedtoacceleratethedevelopmentofsuitable

5Gusecasesandapplicationsforbusinesses

inSub-SaharanAfrica.Thedispersednature

oflargeenterprisesinmanyco