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The average monthly data consumption for Africa and the Middle East is set to increase from 2.3Gb per month in 2017 to 4.6Gb per month by 2022
Average data consumption in Africa is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 15.1 per cent and will hit 4.6Gb per user, per month, by 2022.
A new study published by GlobalData reveals that data consumption in the region is set to skyrocket as the rollout of 4G, LTE and eventually 5G drives demand for online content.
“In the Middle East, Kuwait boasts one of the largest subscriber mobile data usages in the world at 23.8 GB/month in 2017, followed by Bahrain. Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritius lead the African ranking. All AME countries will witness a double-digit data usage Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) through 2022, leading to a regional average of 15.1%,” said Houda Bostanji, technology analyst at GlobalData.
The Middle East is expected to be one of the first regions in the world to rollout 5G. So far this week, Etisalat (UAE), Ooredoo (Qatar) and Saudi Telecom (KSA) have all claimed to have launched the "region’s first 5G networks", amid a clamour of PR spin.
In Africa, a host of telcos are poised to roll out 4G and LTE coverage across the region. Orange has been particularly active in Africa and has recently rolled out solar energy kits in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and The Ivory Coast, to boost connectivity across the continent.
The GlobalData report suggests that the growth will be driven by the rollout of sub-$50 smart phones in Africa and unlimited data plans in the Gulf Cooperation Council nations (GCC – Saudi Arabia, The UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman).
