Gabon

Gabon - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Gabon's oil earnings make it one of the wealthiest nations in Africa. GDP per capita is so then above the African average, even though 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 all things considered succeeded in 2007 when Vivendi-controlled Maroc Telecom bought a majority stake.

With competition between three service providers - Zain, Gabon Telecom'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, USAN entered this virtually saturated market in late 2009. This has accelerated the downward trend in average revenue per user which until recently had remained at remarkably high levels.

The mobile market

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, however this facility has been monopolised by Gabon Telecom. The arrival of new international submarine fibre optic cables in 2011 and 2012 is expected to bring improvements in this sector. Nevertheless, the licensing of frequency spectrum required to launch third generation mobile broadband services has been delayed. Meanwhile, ISPs are rolling out WiMAX wireless broadband networks and are competing in the fixed-voice market by offering VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) internet telephony.

The Gabon - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband report includes all of our technology data and analysis on this country. Covering trends and developments in telecommunications, mobile, internet, broadband, infrastructure and regulation.

The most penetrated mobile markets in Africa

One of the most penetrated mobile markets in Africa;Key statistics;Market and industry overviews;Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;Market liberalisation and regulatory issues;Telecoms operators - privatisation, acquisitions, new licences;Infrastructure development;Major players;Internet and broadband development and growth;Convergence.Mobile voice and data markets;Average revenue per user.

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