Half of the African Population to Be Covered by LTE Networks by 2018:

By end-2018, half the African population will be covered by LTE networks, as LTE base station deployment swells at a CAGR of 40% over the next five years, finds ABI Research.

However, LTE network population coverage will be far from homogenous across the region, with a few countries such as Angola and Namibia nearing the halfway point already while wealthier nations like Botswana and Gabon have yet to deploy the advanced technology.

"Part of the underlying reason for this digital divide is the different types of initiatives driving LTE roll-out," comments Ying Kang Tan, research associate. "We expect wholesale or shared networks such as the joint venture between the Rwandan government and Korea Telecom and the public-private partnership proposed by the Kenyan government to spur LTE deployment. While the public-private partnership has stalled, the government is considering a spectrum sharing agreement to resolve the matter. Other initiatives such as a pure LTE operator, Smile, will also introduce new dynamics into the wireless market."