Guinea’s telecom market is dominated by MTN and Orange. After the entry of these regional players, the number of mobile subscribers grew strongly while revenue also increased steadily.
The debt-stricken incumbent fixed-line operator Sotelgui provided a mobile service until it was closed down in late 2012, following a long period of mismanagement. The company itself was declared bankrupt in 2013, and stopped operating The government since 2019 has sought to secure partners and investors to help launch a replacement operator, Guinea Telecom, but thus far with no success.
Fixed broadband services are still very limited and expensive, though there have been some positive developments in recent years. The landing of the first international submarine cable in 2012, and the setting up of an IXP in mid-2013, increased the bandwidth available to the ISPs, and helped reduce the cost of internet services for end-users. A National Backbone Network was completed in mid-2020, connecting administrative centres across the country. In practice, almost all internet connections are made via mobile networks. GSM services account for a dwindling proportion of connections, in line with the greater reach of services based on 3G and LTE.
Key developments:
- Mobile broadband traffic increased 18.2% in the third quarter of 2021, quarter-on-quarter;
- Regulator imposes SIM card registration rules, contracts GVG to develop a platform to monitor mobile and digital platforms in the county;
- MTN Guinea pays $55 million to renew its mobile licences for ten years, effective from February 2022;
- Guinea joins the free roaming initiative within ECOWAS countries;
- National fibre backbone is completed;
- M-money services gain strong customer take-up;
- MTN signs management services contract with Huawei;
- Report update includes the regulator's annual report for 2020, market data to September 2021, operator data to Q4 2021, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of the pandemic on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.
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Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeCom, the world’s largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.
The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:
Report title: Guinea - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses
Edition: March 2022
Analysts: Henry Lancaster, Peter Lange
Number of pages: 123
Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890
Companies mentioned in this report: Société des Télécommunications de Guinée (Sotelgui), MTN (Areeba, Investcom), Orange (Spacetel), Intercel (Télécel Guinea), Cellcom Guinee, MiriNet (Afribone), ETI, Universal Communication (DiscoveryTel), Ristel, Afripa Telecom, Alternet Systems, Broad Telecom, Soguicis, Thucatel, Telekom Malaysia
For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Guinea-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
