Burkina Faso Hopes to Expand Broadband Connectivity

Burkina Faso’s telecom sector in recent years has made some gains in providing the necessary infrastructure and bandwidth to support telecom services. An IXP completed in September 2020 increased international bandwidth capacity by a third, while in mid-2021 the government was able to start the second phase of a national fibre backbone project. This will link the capital city to an addition 145 municipalities, and provide additional connectivity to terrestrial cables in neighbouring countries.

This new infrastructure is also making it possible for the government to trial telemedicine, and so address the very poor availability of medical services in almost all parts of the country. However, the government, newly elected in November 2020, is under popular pressure to address security issues. Civil disturbances erupted in November 2021 after the government proved incapable of preventing killings by militants. The activities of the militants in side areas of the country jeopardise overall security, and render it difficult for the telcos to safeguard their networks and equipment.

There are three mobile operators in Burkina Faso: Telmob, the mobile arm of the fixed line incumbent Onatel (National Office of Telecommunications), which is partially owned by Morocco Telecom and has now been rebranded as Moov, Orange Burkina Faso SA (owned by Orange Middle East & Africa (OMEA) and Telecel FASO SA (owned by a local group, Planor Afrique). The market has been competitive since 2000. Mobile access is relatively high, with 86 per cent of households owning a portable telephone, of which 97 per cent are in urban areas and 82 per cent in rural areas.116 Licenses for 3G were issued in 2012 and mobile-broadband has since been growing rapidly. Operators have also launched mobile money services since 2013.

Orange, formerly Airtel Burkina, is broadcasting 2G on 900 MHz and 3G on 2100 MHz bands with good coverage in the country (coverage map). The company has been acquired by France Télécom in 2016 from Bharti Airtel, and rebranded it to Orange in 2017. It has become the market leader in 2018 with 49% share. They started with 4G/LTE in 2019 in the capital and 5 other locations on 1800 MHz (B3).

Onatel is the partially state-owned provider, but for 51% owned by Maroc Telecom. It has now been rebranded as Moov Africa. It's mobile branch was called Telemob before. For "fixed" lines they broadcast on 2000 MHz CDMA for which no prepaid packages are available and hence not mentioned further.

The GSM signals are broadcast in the 900 MHz band for 2G and 2100 MHz for 3G. 4G/LTE started in 2019 in 35 locations from launch, including the capital of Ouagadougou: Coverage map . Onatel lost the market lead in 2018 to Orange with 46% customer share.

Telecel Faso is member of the Telecel group owned by Planor Afrique active in many West-African countries. They broadcast on 900 MHz band with 2G/GPRS, and finally caught up in 2017 by being available on 2100 MHz for 3G in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Koudougou and Hounde as well. They are the smallest provider in the country with only 19% share.

In 2020 they announced the launch of 4G+ (LTE-A) mobile services which deliver download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps, as the operator moved to match rival offerings in Burkina Faso.

Burkino Faso’s government has detailed its National Strategy for the Development of the Digital Economy, which seeks to boost connectivity in urban areas.

Local news outlet Le Faso reports that the cities of Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, and Koudougou will be prioritized for high-speed broadband connectivity during the plan’s first phase, with the remaining regional capitals the focus of phase two.

Kisito Traore, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Posts (MDENP), stated that the strategy was aimed at correcting “significant territorial disparities” in Burkina Faso’s digital infrastructure, noting that “the majority of the population has limited access to broadband and access to very high speed internet is marginal.”

TeleGeography reports that under the strategy, the Ministry aims to deliver fibre optic connectivity to all administrative buildings, companies and universities by 2030.

Related Posts:

• Operator Watch Blog: Maroc Telecom Rebrands as Moov Africa
• Operator Watch Blog: Maroc Telecom's African Presence 

Maroc Telecom's African Presence

Morocco has been consistently making it into the top 50 countries for LTE availability and speed. This is mostly thanks to Maroc Telecom, Morocco's largest mobile operator. According to the facts and figures published:

As a global operator and leader in Morocco and other African countries, the Maroc Telecom Group actively participates in teh development of Africa's telecommunications sector. It is a major player on the contintent with a presence in ten countries: Morocco, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Central African Republic, and Togo, with nearly 51 million customers.

A major focus on the group's sustainable development policy is the reduce the digital divide. Aware of its responsibility as a leading economic and social force, the group contributes to numerous social initiatives.

In connection with the South-South cooperation policy supported by His Majesty the King, the group is estalbishing a sustainable presence in Africa. Its successful development strategy is built on partnerships founded on confidence, knowledge sharing, and respect for local cultures and skills.

Privatised in 2001, Maroc Telecom has been listed simultaneously on the Casablanca and Paris stock exchanges since December 2004. Its major shareholders are the Etlisalat Group (53%) and the Kingdom of Morocco (30%).

According to Halberd Bastion, the Ownership/Controlling Entities of Maroc Telecom is Etisalat group.

The following are some interesting facts according to a recent Investor Presentation:

• Sustained revenue growth in outgoing services thanks to the surge in Mobile Internet revenue (+53% year-on-year).
• Growth in mobile customer base: Growth in Postpaid Mobile customer base which represents more than 9% of the customer base
• Decline in incoming revenues: Resulting from the liberalization of VoIP since November 2016 and the reintroduction of the asymmetry in call terminations since March 1, 2017
• Mobile Internet very popular: Data penetration up to 51% - Increase in data usage, thanks to 4G customers who consume 2.3x more than 3G customers
• Activation of 900 MHz frequency on 3G, allowing the improvement of Indoor and Outdoor coverage

The following information about Maroc Telecom subsidiaries is from Halberd Bastion:

Atlantique Telecom
Headquarters: Côte d'Ivoire
Comments: Recognizing the development potential of mobile telephony in sub-Saharan Africa, Atlantique Telecom Group, created in 2002 by African professionals is a major player in the economic fabric of countries where it operates. The company was acquired by UAE telecommunications giant Etisalat in 2005, only to be sold in 2015 to Maroc Telecom. Atlantique Telecom Group is now a fully owned subsidiary of Maroc Telecom. Being geographically represented in 6 African countries (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Niger, Central African Republic, and Togo), ATLANTIQUE TELECOM is positioning itself, in terms of presence as one of the leading telecom operators in West Africa and Central Africa. In addition, the group is also operates in the areas of Internet, data and IP telephony, through Prestige Telecom also part of the group.


Telecel (Moov) Faso (Officially Telecel Faso S.A.)
Website
Country: Burkina Faso
2G Bands: 900 MHz
3G Bands: None
4G Bands: None
Comments: Telecel Faso is the third largest mobile carrier operating in Burkina Faso. The company, owned by Atlantique Telecom (now owned by Maroc Telecom), was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Telecel Faso is in the process of being rebranded to Moov. The company operates a standard 2G GSM network over the 900 MHz band, including GPRS data services. Telecel Faso has announced its intentions to launch 3G service in the country however to date rollout has not begun.


Onatel (Telmob)
Country: Burkina Faso
2G Bands: 900 MHz
3G Bands: B1 (2100 MHz) - DC-HSPA+
4G Bands: None
Comments: Onatel is the largest mobile carrier operating in Burkina Faso. The company was the first to launch mobile services in the country, with a GSM network launched in December 1996. While still state-owned enterprise, Onatel is considered partially privatised and is listed on the Abidjan Regional Stock Exchange with symbol ONTBF. The largest shareholder is Maroc Telecom with a 61% controlling stake, itself owned by Etisalat. Onatel offers its mobile phone services under the brand Telmob. The company operates a 2G GSM service over the 900 MHz frequency and 3G UMTS network over the B1 (2100 MHz) band since May 2013. DC-HSPA+ data services were announced 10 days after launch.


Moov (Officially Atlantique Telecom Centrafrique SA)
Website
Country: Central African Republic
2G Bands: 900 MHz
3G Bands: None
4G Bands: None
Comments: Moov is a mobile carrier operating in Central African Republic (Centrafrique). The company began operations in 2005 then owned by Atlantic Telecom, only to be acquired by Etisalat shortly after. In 2014 Maroc Telecom took over Etisalat's West African operations comprising of its subsidiaries in Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Niger, the Central African Republic and Togo. The company operates 2G GSM services over the 900 MHz band. Currently no 3G UMTS or 4G LTE services are available.


Moov Côte d’Ivoire (Oficially Atlantique Telecom Côte d'Ivoire)
Country: Côte d'Ivoire
2G Bands: 900 MHz
3G Bands: B1 (2100 MHz)
4G Bands: None
Comments: Moov is a mobile carrier operating in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The company began operations in 2006 then owned by Atlantique Télécom, only to be acquired by Etisalat shortly after. In 2014 Maroc Telecom took over Etisalat's West African operations comprising of its subsidiaries in Benin, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Niger, the Central African Republic, and Togo. Maroc Telecom holds a direct 84.99% stake in Moov, with the minority shareholder not disclosed. The company operates 2G GSM services over the 900 MHz band. 3G UMTS was launched in December 2012 over B1 (2100 MHz), providing up to 21 Mbps via HSPA+ which Moov markets as "3.75G". As with all national carriers in Côte d’Ivoire, the company holds 800, 1800, and 2600 MHz licences which may be used in future to deploy LTE services.

Gabon Telecom (Officially Gabon Telecom SA)
Website
Country: Gabon
2G Bands: 900 MHz
3G Bands: B1 (2100 MHz)
4G Bands: B3 (1800 MHz), B7 (2600 MHz), B20 (800 MHz)
Comments: Gabon Telecom is the largest telecommunications operator in Gabon. Historically a state-owned enterprise, the company was formed in June 2001 following the reorganisation of the postal and telecommunications sector. In March 1999, Gabon Telecom created Libertis, its mobile brand. In February 2007, following an international tender, the Gabonese state ceded 51% of the shares to Maroc Telecom, finalised in December 2010. Gabon Telecom has since July 2016, operated a merger with the company Atlantic Telecom Gabon (MOOV), subsidiary of the Etisalat Group. Gabon Telecom, through merger of Libertis and Moov, operates 2G GSM services over the 900 MHz band, and 3G UMTS over B1 (2100 MHz) with HSPA+ data. 4G LTE is available through the merging of Gabon Telecom's network which was launched October 2014 (and upgraded to LTE-A 223 Mbps in November 2015), and Moov's 300 Mbps LTE-A network which launched November 2016. The network implements aggregation of B3 (1800 MHz), B7 (2600 MHz), and B20 (800 MHz).