08 November 2018
Sonatel has launched 4G+ in Senegal. As from October, all of the country’s regional capitals and its most populated cities will be fully connected to mobile broadband internet.
Number of mobile subscribers per quarter in Senegal.
130 sites are so far covered with 4G+, with more expansion expected in the rest of the country.
Sonatel says it spent the first half of this year strengthening its coverage in Dakar and commissioning 4G sites in Porokhane, Medina Gounass, Sokone, Darou Mousty, Popenguine and Vélingara.
The operator says it has now deployed thousands of 4G technical sites throughout the country, with Touba, Thiès, Saint-Louis and Kaolack among some of the many cities that have been recently served.
The aim is to cover all of the regional capitals by November 2018.
Sonatel is continuing to expand its overall network.
Over the past three years, the operator says it has invested more than CFA220bn in technical equipment for its 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ mobile and transport networks.
As part of its commitment to the government’s Digital Senegal 2025 strategy, Sonatel says it is facilitating “affordable and high quality” internet access for as many people as possible. “This commitment is a response to the needs of our more than eight million customers in Senegal, to lower internet rates, and to extend and strengthen the quality of our mobile internet network to improve the customer experience on a daily basis,” states the operator.
The Sonatel Group offers mobile and fixed services in Mali, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.
It has been developing telecoms services throughout Senegal since 1985 and launched a GSM network in 1996. Following privatisation the following year, France Telecom (Orange) currently owns 42 per cent of the Sonatel in Senegal while the state retains 27 per cent.
The rest is held by private investors and the company’s employees.
According to figures from Senegal’s regulator ARTP, the country had 15,984,934 mobile subscribers at the end of 1Q18. Sonatel/Orange leads with a market share of 53.35 per cent, followed by Tigo with 24.29 per cent and Expresso with 22.36 per cent.
