31 October 2024

Malagasy authorities are considering lowering the price of telecommunications services to boost the population’s access to the internet, according to Stéphanie Delmotte, Malagasy Minister of Digital Development, Posts and Telecommunications (MNDPT).

“The time has come to align with international best practices. I believe that soon we will have the opportunity to announce good news regarding Internet prices. No matter what happens, we are committed to reducing Internet costs, so that the majority of the population can access these data services,” said Delmotte.

This initiative is part of the Malagasy leaders’ desire to increase the Internet penetration rate in the country. They have carried out various actions in this direction, including the expansion of the missions of the telecom development fund last September. The objective of this structure, created in August 2006, is to reduce the digital divide. According to DataReportal data, Madagascar had 6.31 million internet users at the beginning of 2024, with a penetration rate of 20.6%.

The cost of accessing mobile internet in Madagascar represents 15.5% of the monthly gross national income (GNI) per capita, according to the ITU’s ‘Measuring Digital Development - ICT Development Index 2024’ report. The organization recommends that this cost does not exceed 2% of the monthly GNI per capita, while the average on the African continent was 4.5% in 2023.