info@businessghana.com
Ghana’s total mobile data subscription at the end of December 2016 stood at 19.6 million. According to industry statistics released by the National Communications Authority (NCA) on its website, this brings the country’s mobile data penetration rate to 69.91 per cent in 2016 up from the 2015 figure of 65.74 per cent.
The players in the cellular mobile data space are MTN, Vodafone, Airtel, tiGO, Glo and Expresso.
From the statistics, MTN was the only company among the six that managed to increase its subscriber numbers and market share.
Two players, Vodafone and Airtel, managed to increase their mobile data subscriber numbers but shed a lot of market share during the period.
On the other hand, three others, tiGO, Glo and Expresso, lost out on both subscriber numbers and market share.
MTN maintained its lead within the sector as it managed to keep its competitors at bay. The company’s mobile data subscriptions for December 2016 stood at 10.2 million as against 8.6 million the previous year. Its market share at the close of 2016 increased to 52.06 per cent from 47.89 per cent in 2015.
Losers
Vodafone managed to also increase its mobile data subscription to 3.5 million at the close of 2016 from a figure of 3.3 million in 2015. However, the company recorded a market share of 17.69 per cent, down from 18.39 per cent in 2015.
For that of Airtel Ghana, the company’s mobile data subscriptions as of December 2016 was 2.90 million, up from 2.87 million the previous year. In spite of the marginal gain in its subscriber numbers, the company’s market share dipped to 14.77 per cent in the year from 15.97 per cent in 2015.
From mobile data subscriber numbers of 2.73 million in 2015, tiGO recorded mobile data subscription numbers of 2.72 million at the end of December 2016. The company shed some market share which dipped to 13.88 per cent at the end of last year from 15.16 per cent the previous year.
Glo’s mobile data subscriptions for December 2016 stood at 277,372, having dropped heavily from 419,459 in 2015. The drop in subscriber numbers also affected its market share which saw a dip from 2.33 per cent in 2015 to 1.41 per cent in 2016.
Expresso’s mobile data subscriptions as of the end of December 2016 stood at 36,672 as against 48,178 at the end of 2015. The company’s market share also dropped to 0.19 per cent in 2016 from 0.27 per cent the previous year.
