Cote d Ivoire (Ivory Coast) - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Digital Media - Statistics and Analyses
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Executive summary
Ivory Coast assigns company to manage number portability
Cote d’Ivoire continues to benefit from strong economic growth, though GDP has declined since 2014. Nevertheless, the economy is still expected to grow by about 7% in 2017, supported by strong export in cocoa and palm oil and with greater efforts to develop the manufacturing sector as well as mining for gold and developing oil exports. The relatively peaceful elections held in October 2015 secured a second term for President Ouattara, who has focused on rebuilding the country’s infrastructure and establishing economic and political stability.
Although it has two competing fixed network operators, the fixed-line sector is dominated by CI-Telecom. This operator is majority-owned by Orange Group and was merged with the Group’s local mobile network operator, Orange Cote d’Ivoire, in December 2016. This created a unified service operator able to provide converged fixed-line as well as mobile voice and data services. The merger was in line with the government’s aim of developing a telecom sector with a stronger focus on convergence. To this end the mobile licences were renewed in early 2016 as universal services licenses.
The strongest sector in the overall market is the mobile sector, dominated by MTN and Orange. Other players include Moov (a subsidiary of Maroc Telecom), KoZ (operated by the Lebanese Comium Group) and Oricel Green Network (backed by Libya’s LAP Green before becoming part of the Libyan Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Company (LPTIC).
The internet and broadband sectors have remained underdeveloped. This is partly the legacy result of high international bandwidth costs caused by the incumbent having had monopoly access to the only international fibre optic submarine cable serving the country. This was addressed in recent years, with the landing of a second cable in November 2011. Access to additional cables are providing significant reductions in retail pricing for DSL, WiMAX and EV-DO wireless broadband services.
Further progress has been made in building out the national backbone network, with an additional 7,000km laid by early 2017. These developments will place the country in a better position to develop its broadband market and so encourage a prosperous digital economy.
Key developments:
Government further tightens SIM card registration rules; regulator selects VipNet to manage number portability process; government takes control of digital migration process; LPTIC is awarded the fourth universal telecoms licence; Orange CI and CI-Telecom complete merger, creating converged fixed-line and mobile operator; National Broadband Network to be completed by end-2017; MTN Ivory Coast commits to XOF120 billion network upgrade investment; WiMAX operator YooMee deploys LTE; report update includes regulator’s market data to June 2017, telcos’ operating data to Q2 2017, recent market developments.
Companies mentioned in this report:
Cote d’Ivoire Telecom (CI-Telecom), MTN CI, Arobase Telecom, Orange CI (France Telecom), Comium CI (KoZ), Etisalat (Moov), LapGreen (Green Network, GreenN, Oricel), Warid Telecom, Globacom, CORA de Comstar, Aircomm CI, Mainstreet Technologies, Africa Online, AfNet, Aviso, Globe Access Internet (Omnes), Intel Afrique, Solaris Telecom, Africom, Afripa Telecom (Atlantique Telecom), Comete, Globe Access, Monicash.