GSMA projects 5G adoption in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan countries to rise to 17 percent by 2030, accounting for 234 million connections, up from one percent in 2023. According to the ‘The Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa (2024)’ report, while 5G growth in the region will be gradual, a significant portion of the customer base will continue to migrate to and utilize 4G networks.
The report highlights the expected decline of 2G and 3G connections as users transition to 4G and 5G, leading to an increase in network deployments. GSMA Intelligence forecasts the retirement of 143 networks on 2G and 3G in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2023 and 2030, with approximately half planned by the end of 2024.
While 5G deployment gains momentum, the focus remains on transitioning to 5G standalone and 5G-Advanced standards to unlock innovative use cases and enhance functionality for enterprises.
Addressing affordability and digital literacy skills are identified as primary barriers to mobile internet penetration. The report predicts Sub-Saharan Africa to reach 700 million unique mobile subscribers by 2030, with Nigeria and Ethiopia accounting for nearly a third of the total. Despite this growth, mobile penetration is projected to remain below the global average of 73 percent by the same year.
Telecom networks have been instrumental in driving voice and data connectivity globally, with over 4.7 billion mobile internet subscribers. Mobile operators are forging partnerships with cloud providers and telecom vendors to leverage AI capabilities ethically, ensuring fairness and reliability for all stakeholders.
