The mobile phone industry in Ghana is booming with over six million mobile phone subscribers in the country as against a little over 300,000 fixed or land lines.
According to statistics available on the website of the national regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA), as at the end of October 2010, there were 16, 779, 331 mobile phone subscriptions in the country; there were however 371,216 fixed or landlines.
The mobile telephony penetration among the country’s population of 23, 403, 565 according to this information is 71.7% as against 1.4% for fixed line, giving the mobile telephony sector a market share of 98.1%, while the fixed line sector has a mere 1.9% market share.
The breakdown for the five companies operating in the country is as follows: Expresso – 236, 605; Tigo – 3,870,089; MTN – 8, 489, 553; Vodafone – 2, 582,299 and Airtel – 1, 600, 785 bringing the total in October 2010 to 16, 779,331 up from 16, 562, 096 in September. The October increase is 1.3% as against the September growth rate of -0.5%.
The sixth company licensed to do business, Globacom is yet to start operations.
Of the five telecoms companies operating in Ghana only two provide fixed lines. These are Vodafone and Airtel. Vodafone has 307, 858 fixed lines while Airtel has 9, 358.
Meanwhile, in another development, mobile web usage in Africa is among the largest in the world. According to Stat Counter, Asia makes 6.10%, followed closely by Africa with 5.18% and then North America with 4.71%. Oceania/Australia makes 2.88%; Europe is 1.81% and South America is 1.4%.
Mobile web usage is the use of the mobile phone to access the Internet.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi