There has been much movement in the mobile telecommunication industry, together with massive changes in the past year brought about by data-only network operator Rain increasing its market share. Rain announced earlier in the year that it would be the first company in SA to launch a commercial 5G network. This comes about through a partnership between Rain and Huawei - which is said to be a first on the African continent and one of the first in the world.
The high cost of data in SA is an ongoing debate and data cost discussions have pointed to MTN and Vodacom charging higher data prices in SA than they do in other parts of the continent. This may be changing in the future. Pricing strategies are certainly reflected not only in mobile network operators’ advertising, but among broadband providers as well.
A visualisation map by Howmuch.net reveals that data in SA costs more than in most African countries at $7.19 per gigabyte (GB). South Africa is ranked in position 143 out of a total of 230 countries measured in the report. When compared to countries such as Sudan, where it costs customers $0.68 per GB, and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s $0.88 per GB, South Africans certainly pay more. That said, Zimbabwe has, by far, the highest data costs in Africa and the world at $75.20, according to the report.
The Price of Mobile Internet in Africa Map | Source: howmuch.net
click to enlargeA GSMA report on Africa’s mobile economy predicts that GDP contribution, as a result of mobile technologies, will increase from 6.7% in 2015 to 7.6% of GDP in 2020. This amounts to an estimated $210bn as African countries see benefits from improved productivity and changes in the nature of work.
For more information on the AdForum event, which takes place at the Houghton Golf Club on 31 May, or to book your ticket, contact Jade Fleishman on (011) 280-3402 or az.oc.ratskcalbosit@jnamhsielf.
