4G is about to become a reality in São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, thanks to Unitel STP, which has announced that it has become the first mobile operator to launch commercial 4G services in the country, after receiving approval from regulator AGER.
According to RFI, a French news and current affairs public radio station, Inoweze Ferreira, director general of UNITEL in São Tomé and Príncipe, has suggested that this development will increase investment in several areas, notably agriculture, which he feels can be revolutionized by technology.
Health and education could also benefit apparently, though more detailed information on how this will happen has not been made available. For subscribers, however, it’s a simple matter of visiting a Unitel store to change their SIM card.
Unitel was awarded the country’s second fixed and mobile telecoms licence in March 2013. Its first 4G tests were carried out on 7 April this year.
Coverage may not be as much of an issue in Sao Tome and Principe as it is in many countries for, although the country is an island archipelago, it is small and has a modest population. Available estimates suggest a population that today reaches a little over 231,000 with just under 200,000 mobile subscriptions in 2021.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database the local mobile market’s only other player – Companhia Santomense de Telecomunicacoes (CST) – has yet to launch 4G services in Sao Tome and Principe.
