Abstract
Executive summary
Gabon' s oil revenues make it one of the wealthiest nations in Africa. GDP per
capita is well above the African average, although a distorted income
distribution and poor social indicators are evident. The telecom market was
liberalised in 1999 when the government awarded three mobile telephony
licences and two Internet Service Provider licences and established an
independent regulatory authority. Following two unsuccessful attempts, the
privatisation of Gabon Telecom (GT) finally succeeded in 2007.
With competition between three service providers - Zain, GT' s Libertis, and
Etisalat' s Moov - Gabon became one of the first countries in Africa to exceed
100% mobile market penetration in 2008. A fourth operator, Bintel, is set to
enter this virtually saturated market in 2009. This is expected to accelerate
the downward trend in average revenue per user which until recently has
remained at remarkably high levels.
In contrast with the mobile market, Gabon' s fixed-line and Internet/broadband
sectors have remained underdeveloped due to a lack of competition and the
resulting high prices. The country has sufficient international bandwidth on
the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE fibre optic submarine cable which runs from Portugal via
South Africa to the Far East, but this facility has been monopolised by GT.
With its new owner, Vivendi-controlled Maroc Telecom, the fixed-line incumbent
is now becoming more efficient and innovative in developing its services. It
is facing competition from ISPs rolling out WiMAX wireless broadband networks
and offering VoIP Internet telephony.
This report contains an overview and analysis of Gabon' s telecommunications
market, profiles of the major players in all market sectors, relevant
statistics, and scenario forecasts for 2010 and 2015 for the country' s
fixed-line, mobile and Internet markets.
Key highlights:
- Forecasts for fixed-line, mobile and Internet markets for 2010 and 2015;
- One of the highest levels of mobile penetration and ARPU in Africa;
- GDP per capita to fall by 30% as a result of the global economic crisis;
- Profiles of major players in all market sectors;
- Fourth mobile network set to enter the market;
- Comparison with other countries in the region in terms of GDP, mobile,
fixed and Internet market penetration.
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