The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia states that Namibia has observed a 6% increase in population coverage for 4G services during 2023. Despite this positive trend, the Kunene region exhibited the lowest coverage at 41%, followed by the Omaheke region at 57%, and the Kavango West region at 59%.
The figures indicate that these areas remain the least-covered in terms of 4G services.
“This growth can be mainly attributed to the substantial investments in infrastructure made by operators in recent years. One notable example is the implementation of MTC’s 081-everyone project, which started in 2019,” reads CRAN’s first quarter statistics of 2023 released yesterday.
Established in terms of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009), CRAN is an independent regulator which regulates, supervises and promotes the provision of telecommunications services and networks, broadcasting and postal services, and the use and allocation of radio spectrum in Namibia.
It noted that the telecommunications sector’s total investment displays inherent volatility, characterised by fluctuations observed over time.
This, the regulator said, is due to the fact that investment in the telecommunications sector is not static, as it is influenced by economic factors and the industry’s dynamics which determine how capital is allocated in the sector.
CRAN said the overall traffic in the sector experienced a contraction during the first quarter of 2023. This contraction ranged between 1% and 8%, indicating a decrease in the total volume of traffic observed within the specified period. This is due to more people utilising data services and OTTs to communicate.
“In line with the decline observed in traffic during the first quarter of 2023, the revenue generated from data, voice and SMS services experienced a slight contraction. Fixed internet subscriptions continue to rise, particularly in terms of higher internet speeds. Fibre connection is gaining momentum. The expansion of the fibre network infrastructure is likely driving this trend. However, a downward trend is observed in the usage of MetroNet & Leased lines during the quarter under review,” listed the authority.
Overall, the mobile telecommunications sector experienced a contraction in the number of subscribers during the first quarter of 2023.
This contraction ranged between 4% and 8%, indicating a decrease in the total count of individuals or entities actively utilising mobile services. “This is because the implementation of SIM registration carries the potential for a trade-off in terms of the subscriber’s level of utilisation of their SIM cards”, CRAN noted.