Africans Face Most Expensive Internet Charges in the World

As per the report from CNN, consumers in African countries are paying some of the highest rates in the world for internet access as a proportion of income, according to a new report released by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) Tuesday, Oct 22, 2019.  A4AI assessed 136 low and middle-income countries for their annual affordability report stating that citizens in a countries like Chad, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic must pay more than 20% of average earnings for 1GB of mobile broadband data where as 1GB of mobile broadband data should not cost more than 2% of average monthly income. By contrast, Egypt at 0.5% and Mauritius at 0.59% are considered to be the most affordable rates in the continent. 

According to the same report, the average rate of 1GB  mobile broadband data across the African continent is 7.12%, of the monthly income and in some cases the 1GB costs more than a 20% of the average earnings.

Please read the full article for more information using the link.

Government of Ethiopia Could Issue More Mobile-phone Network Licenses

Bloomberg published an article titled "Ethiopia Could Sell Majority Stake in State Telecom Monopoly" indicating that Ethiopia may give up majority control over its telecommunications monopoly in the second phase of privatization once it’s sold 49% of the company next year. Referring Mr. Balcha Reba, director-general at the newly established Ethiopian Communications Authority, stated that the government could also issue more mobile-phone network licenses over the long term beyond the two already planned for March 2020. Liberalizing the sector will improve service quality, increase choice for customers and spur investment.

According to the same report, international carriers including Orange SA, MTN Group Ltd. and Vodafone Group Plc’s African unit are among companies that are interested in expanding in Ethiopia, seen as the last major market on the continent closed to independent operators.

Read the full article by Nizar Manek and John Bowker using this link.