New Market Report: Southern Africa Telecommunications Report Q2 2013

Our Q213 Southern Africa report analyses the latest industry, regulatory and macroeconomic developments in the telecoms markets of seven countries: Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also contains analysis of latest market data relating to the end of Q412 and updated fiveyear forecasts to 2017 for the mobile, fixed-line and internet sectors.

Key Data

* Zimbabwe recorded the fastest growth in the mobile sector in 2012, at 45.6% y-o-y, albeit from a relatively low base following inactive SIM discounting in 2011.
* Mobile penetration in Botswana, Namibia and Mauritius has reached 100%, while Zimbabwe is expected to reach that level in 2013.
* Mozambique has the lowest mobile penetration rate, at less than 40% in 2012.
* Mauritius has the most developed fixed-line market, with a penetration rate of around 30% in 2012.

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Full Report Details at
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Risk/Reward Ratings

Angola is the highest ranked country among the seven Southern Africa countries in our Q213 Telecoms Risk/Reward Ratings for Sub-Saharan Africa. The country is in fourth position, up from fifth in our previous update. Zambia moved up two places to 11th position, while Mauritius moved up one place to 17th. Botswana is unchanged in sixth position, while Mozambique is unchanged in 20th. Namibia dropped one place to 13th, while Zimbabwe dropped six places to 22nd. Zimbabwe is held back by a weak country risk score, which, at 27.9, is considerably lower than the regional average of 52.1.

Key Developments

Angolan mobile operator Unitel has earmarked AOA130bn (US$1.35bn) for network investment for the three-year period 2013-2015. The expenditure will focus on enhancing voice and data services, and expanding network coverage. Unitel faces tough competition from rival Movicel.

The Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) and National Broadcasting Board (NBB) merged their operations, effective from April 1, into a combined regulator known as the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA). BOCRA will be responsible for the regulation of telecoms, internet and ICT, commercial radio and television communications, broadcasting, and postal services and related matters in Botswana. The Telecommunications Act established by the BTA and the Broadcasting Act created by the NBB were revoked and replaced with BOCRA's legislation, the broader Communications Regulatory Authority Act, in 2012.

In Mozambique, Instituto Nacional de Comunicacoes de Mocambique plans to auction up to five blocks of 2x5MHz spectrum in the 790-862MHz range. Applications are to be submitted by May 13, and the auction itself is to begin on June 16. The 800MHz band would offer licensees the ability to provide high-speed mobile broadband services using 4G LTE technology.

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For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.

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