Senegal ended the first quarter of 2020 with 17.95 million mobile lines, an increase of just 0.38 percent from three months earlier. Growth slowed compared to previous quarters, with notably Free losing customers during the quarter, according to the latest report from telecom regulator ARTP. The mobile penetration rate reached 110.73 percent, up from 107.95 percent a year earlier.
Orange extended its lead during the quarter, reaching 9.94 million lines compared to 9.56 million at the end of December. Free dropped to 4.40 million from 4.73 million, and Expresso grew to 3.61 million from 3.58 million. That gives Orange 55.4 percent of the market, compared to 24.5 percent for Free and 20.1 percent for Expresso.
The number of internet subscribers grew at double-digit rates for a second quarter, up 12.3 percent to 13.53 million at the end of the March. That takes internet penetration to 83.5 percent, from 74.3 percent at the end of March.
Only 158,000 had a fixed broadband connection, with nearly 99 percent using mobile internet access. The ARTP estimates almost 23 percent of mobile internet users were on 4G, up from 10.5 percent a year earlier.