Tuesday 27 October, 2026
For governments that want to keep expanding coverage and increasing internet adoption, spectrum pricing and licensing are critical. Yet, African mobile operators have less spectrum and pay more per 100 MHz than operators elsewhere. Given Africa’s large connectivity deficits, it is critical to release more spectrum and ensure spectrum pricing, licence conditions, obligations, and renewal frameworks support sustainable investment and efficient spectrum use. Getting this balance right will let operators expand coverage, improve quality of service, support growing traffic demand, and accelerate digital adoption, while ensuring they can keep investing in the networks needed to drive Africa’s digital development.
Here are key issues for governments and regulators to grapple with. How these are addressed can either help or hinder the expansion of mobile connectivity:
1. Spectrum pricing and assignments in Africa
Additional spectrum will be required to support growing traffic demand, improve network quality and enable increased digital adoption. As countries assign new spectrum and renew existing licences, pricing and assignment decisions will play a critical role in determining whether spectrum enables investment and connectivity or increasingly constrains both.
Spectrum policy in Africa (New)
Regional developments
2. Access to mid-band spectrum
Mid-band spectrum is crucial for the successful rollout of 5G. It provides city-wide capacity for enhanced mobile broadband and FWA applications that will deliver access to services from online education to public administration, enable smart cities and drive digital industry. The GSMA estimates that, on average, each market will need 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum to support 5G growth by 2030. To realise the potential benefits, countries across SSA must meet mid-band needs in harmonised ranges, including 3.5 GHz and 6 GHz, to deliver economies of scale and lower broadband costs.
Mid-band spectrum needs
Socio-economic benefits of mid-band
3. Low-band spectrum and Digital Switchover (DSO) in Africa
Low-band spectrum is the cornerstone of digital equality and a driver of broad and affordable connectivity. Spectrum in this range is a by-product of the Digital Switchover (DSO), the process of moving from analogue to digital terrestrial television transmission. A successful DSO can free up low-band spectrum to help more people connect. Without this range, providing widespread rural mobile broadband services can be very expensive, and thus impractical. Experience shows that all DSO-related challenges are solvable and that users reap big benefits from better mobile services in those bands.
DSO in Africa
Low-band spectrum vision
4. Single Wholesale Networks and Technology Neutrality
Technology-neutral spectrum licensing (also referred to as technology neutrality) is crucial to allow mobile operators to refarm spectrum used for legacy networks (2G and 3G) for 4G and 5G services at a pace driven by market demand. However, there remains a lack of technology neutrality within Africa, notably in West Africa, and parts of Central and Southern Africa. By contrast, technology neutrality has been adopted more widely in Eastern Africa.
The last couple of years have seen countries move away from interventionist spectrum policies such as single wholesale networks (SWNs) to other, more collaborative policies encouraging investment in underserved areas, delivering mobile capacity and encouraging adoption. However, there are still countries in Africa that favour SWN. In this report, the GSMA looks at the demise of this spectrum licensing approach and other more effective solutions to addressing coverage and usage gaps.
SWN in Africa
Technology neutrality
So, how can governments and regulators help lead the way? With these reports, the GSMA aims to give regulators and governments the arguments they need to implement policies that help improve mobile capacity and expand connectivity.
