Despite concerted efforts by African countries to join the global 5G technology race and improve internet services, less than six per cent of the sub-Saharan population currently has access to the technology. While many countries worldwide are providing robust 5G services, Africa remains largely on the sidelines.
Some African countries have launched 5G networks. South Africa, for instance, rolled out its 5G services in March 2022 when the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) auctioned spectrum across several bands. Nigeria followed, with MTN launching commercial 5G services in Lagos in 2022 and gradually expanding to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, Maiduguri and other cities. Similarly, MTN Congo became the first country in Central Africa to deploy 5G, while Orange Botswana introduced the technology in Gaborone and Francistown.
Other nations, including Angola, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have also launched 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services. Despite these advancements, the overall penetration of 5G in Africa is alarmingly low, especially when compared to other regions.
According to analysts, several hurdles impede 5G adoption in Africa. These include spectrum assignment, regulatory bottlenecks, inadequate infrastructure, cybersecurity concerns and financial constraints.
1. Spectrum Allocation:
Spectrum, a finite resource, is often already in use for services like TV broadcasting and satellite operations. Governments must release frequencies and grant licenses at affordable rates for 5G deployment to gain traction.
2. Infrastructure Limitations:
Deploying 5G requires significant upfront investment in equipment, including antennas, Radio Access Network (RAN) hardware, and fiberised infrastructure. Most African countries lack the foundational infrastructure to support such advanced networks.
3. Regulatory Barriers:
Many African regulatory authorities have yet to initiate processes for licensing or granting access to the necessary frequency bands. This delay further hampers the rollout of 5G services.
4. Cybersecurity Risks:
As a cutting-edge technology, 5G is vulnerable to cyber threats, including tracking calls and exposing user locations. These risks necessitate robust security frameworks, which many African countries lack.
5. Economic Constraints:
Socioeconomic challenges also play a significant role. For instance, the pricing structure of 5G services must align with the economic realities of African countries to ensure widespread adoption.
Urban-rural disparities exacerbate these challenges, as urban areas have nearly exhausted their capacity for site density and spectrum availability, while rural regions remain underserved.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 5G coverage reached 40 per cent of the global population by 2023, but distribution remains uneven. Developed countries boast significantly higher coverage rates:
- Europe: 68 per cent
- Americas: 59 per cent
- Asia-Pacific: 42 per cent
- Arab States: 12 per cent
- Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): 8 per cent
- Africa: 6 per cent
In contrast, 4G networks cover 90 per cent of the world’s population, although 55 per cent of those without access to 4G reside in low-income countries, where 3G remains the dominant technology for internet connectivity.
Globally, 5G adoption has surged since its first commercial rollout in South Korea in 2019. The United States now reports 5,000 cities with 5G coverage, while China leads with over 250 million 5G subscriptions served by two million base stations. Ericsson predicts that global 5G subscriptions will reach one billion by the end of 2024 and five billion by 2028, equivalent to 60 per cent of the world’s population.
Africa, with its 1.4 billion people, remains a patchwork of progress and setbacks. A dozen nations, including Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zimbabwe and Zambia, have launched 5G services. However, these efforts barely scratch the surface in a continent with 54 countries.
Ericsson forecasts that by 2027, only 10 per cent of Africa’s population will have 5G subscriptions, compared to 80 per cent in Europe. This disparity highlights Africa’s uphill battle in bridging the 5G divide.
Analysts suggest several strategies to accelerate 5G adoption in Africa:
- Adapting Legacy Systems: Upgrading existing infrastructure to support 5G deployment is critical.
- Collaborating for Infrastructure Development: Partnerships between public and private sectors can help fund and develop essential infrastructure.
- Future-proofing Networks: Building networks that can support both current and future technologies ensures long-term sustainability.
- Reusing Spectrum Assets: Efficiently utilising existing spectrum can alleviate bottlenecks.
- Releasing Low-Band Frequencies: Combining low-band and mid-band frequencies improves coverage and capacity.
Africa’s slow adoption of 5G contrasts sharply with rapid advancements in other regions. China, South Korea, the UK, Germany and the US lead in 5G deployment, with multiple companies in these countries actively rolling out networks and selling compatible devices. Emerging players like Switzerland and Finland are also making strides.
To catch up, African countries must address foundational issues, including regulatory reforms, investment in infrastructure, and affordability. Policymakers must prioritise 5G deployment as a tool for economic growth and digital inclusion.
In China, three companies are at the forefront of 5G deployment. The world’s largest 5G network was launched on October 31, 2019, by the country’s three major network operators: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. According to the state-run news agency Xinhua, these operators activated their networks less than five months after receiving 5G licenses. At the time of the launch, each operator offered 5G services at $18 per month in 50 Chinese cities.
Chris Nicoll, principal analyst at ACG Research, noted in a November 1, 2019, SDxCentral article: “What we are seeing is a concerted effort by the Chinese — the operators, vendors, and government regulators — to deploy 5G as quickly as possible.” This collaboration proved effective, as the three operators collectively deployed nearly 86,000 5G base stations in 2019, surpassing 130,000 by year’s end. This total included projections for China Unicom and China Telecom to install 40,000 base stations each, while market leader China Mobile planned to install 50,000. By 2024, these figures had been significantly exceeded.
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) predicts that by 2025, 36% of China’s mobile users — around 600 million subscribers — will be on 5G networks. This represents 40% of the global 5G market, underscoring China’s dominance in the sector. However, this growth has not been without challenges. The United States government has taken measures to curb the global expansion of Chinese vendors, potentially hindering their ability to penetrate international markets.
In South Korea, SK Telecom and Korea Telecom (KT) are the main players in the 5G market. SK Telecom secured spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 28 GHz frequencies, positioning itself for 5G deployment. In April 2019, the company claimed to be the first mobile carrier globally to launch 5G services alongside a compatible smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. This launch gave SK Telecom a competitive edge over Verizon in the U.S., which introduced mobile 5G services before 5G-enabled smartphones became available.
SK Telecom also conducted trials with a standalone (SA) 5G core in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, demonstrating a network independent of 4G infrastructure. Meanwhile, KT made early strides with a 5G trial network deployed ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. While initially limited to demonstrations, KT expanded its network to cover South Korea’s most populated areas, eventually claiming to have the world’s first nationwide commercial 5G wireless network. South Korean consumers have played a pivotal role in driving this growth, purchasing 5G devices at such a rapid pace that stores struggled to maintain stock. Remarkably, the country reached one million 5G subscribers just 69 days after the initial launch.
The United Kingdom witnessed the launch of 5G services by its four major providers — EE, Vodafone UK, Three UK, and O2 UK — throughout 2019. These operators utilized equipment primarily from Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei, with O2 UK being an exception by opting not to use Huawei equipment despite running tests with it. Three UK introduced an unlimited, speed-cap-free data service at no additional cost, while Vodafone UK and O2 UK collaborated to share infrastructure, speeding up equipment rollouts. Similar agreements were made by Vodafone in Italy and Spain to facilitate 5G deployments.
In Germany, Vodafone Germany and Deutsche Telekom led the 5G market in 2019. Vodafone launched services in 20 cities and municipalities, including Cologne and Düsseldorf, while Deutsche Telekom began with six cities, such as Berlin and Munich. Vodafone offered 5G services at a price $5.61 lower per month than Deutsche Telekom. Additionally, a new player, 1&1 Drillisch, entered the scene after spending $1.2 billion to acquire 70 MHz of spectrum during the government’s spectrum auction. However, 1&1 Drillisch delayed using the spectrum until 2021.
The United States took significant steps to advance 5G deployment through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 5G FAST Plan, announced in September 2018. This initiative included spectrum auctions to repurpose bands for wireless broadband. One such auction in March 2016 opened up a low-band spectrum suitable for 5G, followed by another auction in 2019 for the upper 37 GHz, 39 GHz, and 47 GHz bands. Proceeds from these auctions were directed toward expanding high-speed broadband in rural areas.
In August 2020, T-Mobile US became the first telecom operator globally to launch a standalone 5G network with a dedicated 5G core. This milestone followed its merger with Sprint earlier that year. T-Mobile surpassed rivals AT&T and Verizon, as well as South Korea’s SK Telecom, which had initially been expected to achieve this feat. Both AT&T and SK Telecom had aimed to deploy standalone 5G architecture by early 2020 but missed their targets.
The race to 5G in the U.S. also involved milestones from AT&T and Verizon. In December 2018, AT&T launched the first standards-based mobile 5G network across a dozen cities, albeit without compatible devices. Verizon, meanwhile, introduced a non-standards-based fixed broadband 5G network in four cities in October 2018. By March 2019, Verizon had activated a standards-based 5G network in Minneapolis and Chicago, selling the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G by May 2019. By the end of 2019, Verizon and AT&T had expanded their networks to cover 30 cities and states, respectively.
Globally, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) continues to play a critical role in standardising 5G technologies to accelerate deployment worldwide. The goal is to achieve universal coverage by 2030, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to bridge the digital divide and enhance connectivity for all.
