Market Report, "Ghana Telecommunications Report Q1 2013", Published

New Fixed Networks research report from Business Monitor International is now available from Fast Market Research

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 22 February 2013

BMI View: The Ghanaian mobile market is approaching saturation, with the penetration rate expected to exceed 100% by the end of 2012. However, we believe the high subscription rate is mostly driven by multiple SIM ownership and, therefore, expect subscriptions growth to remain strong throughout our forecast period, ending 2017. We expect the internet sector to drive growth during our forecast period as wireless access networks become more widespread. The country's mobile operators are investing considerable sums in next generation access technologies to complement the arrival of international bandwidth from submarine cable systems. This, along with a growing economy and the government's computerisation programme, will drive the take-up of broadband services over the next few years.

Key Data

- The Ghanaian mobile market grew by 6.5% q-o-q in Q312, compared to 7.9% in Q212 and 2.3% in Q112.
- Mobile ARPU contracted by 25% in 9M12, mainly due to increase in competition, following the launch of commercial services by sixth licensee Glo Ghana.
- The fixed-line market contracted by 3.5% in 9M12 as fixed-to-mobile substitution accelerates in the country

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/536453_ghana_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx?afid=201) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/536453_ghana_telecommunications_report_q1_2013.aspx?afid=201)

Risk/ Reward Ratings

Ghana is in 4th position on BMI's Risk/Reward ratings table this quarter, behind South Africa, Nigeria and Gabon. Ghana scores above the regional average in all four of our ratings categories. Its highest score is the Country Risks category, which reflects a strong private consumption growth outlook and political stability, despite the conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2012.

Key Trends And Developments

The launch of Globacom (Glo Ghana) operations in Ghana has significantly increased competition in the country's mobile market, in line with BMI's expectations. According to regulatory data, Glo registered 468,508 subscribers after one month of launching commercial services in Ghana, a market share of 2.1% at the end of May 2012. This trend continued for the remainder of Q212 and Q312, with the operator's market share rising to 6.5% by the end of September 2012. This is a remarkable performance, considering the intense competition from other experienced operators in the market, including MTN, Vodafone, Tigo and low-margin specialist Airtel. Glo is now in 5th position in terms of market share, ahead of Expresso and could challenge for a higher position if it continues to grow at the same pace registered in its first three months of operations.

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