![\"Mobile](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Mobile-transforming-Sub-Saharan-Africa.png\")
<\/a>Mobile transforming Sub-Saharan Africa<\/p><\/div>\n
With many countries in the region seeing fixed line penetration rates of less than 5%, mobile has emerged as the main medium for accessing the internet across Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n
While 2G connections still dominate in the region, 3G and 4G networks are gaining scale and smartphone ownership is on the rise. With unique subscriber penetration rates still less than 33%, this opens up a major opportunity for growth in the next five years,\u00a0the GSMA said.<\/p>\n
Broader economic analysis predicts that mobile broadband adoption would generate up to US $197 billion in additional GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2015 and 2020 and help fuel the creation of 16 million new jobs across a variety of sectors.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the significant impact of the mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, even greater opportunities are ahead,\u201d said Tom Phillips, chief regulatory officer, GSMA.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeyond further growth for basic voice services, the region is starting to see an explosion in the uptake of mobile data. However, a short-term focus by some countries on generating high spectrum fees and maximising tax revenue risks constraining the potential of the mobile Internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mobile impact on Sub-Saharan Africa<\/p><\/div>\n
More on the GSMA<\/h3>\n
Global mobile penetration rates revealed<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n More SIMs than people in 2013<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Africa\u2019s mobile market set to quadruple<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Reaching Africa\u2019s fragmented mobile users<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n