Congo: the number of mobile Internet subscribers increased by 61% in five years to reach 3.4 million in 2023
April 9th 2024
The number of mobile Internet subscriptions in Congo has increased by 61% in five years, from 2.1 million in 2019 to 3.4 million in 2023, according to the Post and Electronic Communications Regulatory Agency (ARPCE). ). The regulator did not, however, specify whether this refers to the number of unique subscribers with access to mobile Internet or the number of SIM cards with access to the service.
The growth in the number of subscriptions to mobile Internet services between 2019 and 2023 resulted in a 337% increase in traffic over the same period, from 15.9 billion megabytes to 69.4 billion megabytes.
This explosion in Internet traffic can be attributed to the renewed interest of populations in the network platforms that they use to obtain information, do business online, chat with friends, be entertained, and participate in public debates on governance. . Added to this are government digital services, as well as other innovative services provided by private start-ups in the fields of education, health, commerce, agriculture, etc.
Furthermore, the Congolese government has set itself the objective of promoting equitable access to digital services for all citizens by 2025 in accordance with the national digital transformation strategy “Congo Digital 2025” launched in August 2019. To achieve this , the executive is increasing investments in strengthening the national telecoms infrastructure with the construction of data centers, the connection of the country to a second submarine fiber optic cable, interconnection by fiber optic to neighboring countries, etc.
Additionally, Brazzaville is working with the World Bank on the Congo Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATN) which aims to increase underserved populations’ access to high-speed internet and improve the government’s capacity to provide public services adapted thanks to digital technology. The Bretton Woods Institution approved $100 million in funding for the project in June 2022.
Source: Agency EcoFin
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