Angola - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts

Paul Budde Communication Pty Ltd, February 2013, Pages: 29

Billions of US$ in investments into LTE and fibre budgeted for 2013-15
This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Angola’s telecommunications market.

Subjects covered include:

- Key statistics;
- Market and industry overviews;
- Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;
- Market liberalisation and regulatory issues;
- Major players (fixed, mobile and broadband);
- Telecoms operators – privatisation, restructuring, acquisitions, new licences;
- Infrastructure development;
- International submarine fibre optic cables;
- National fibre backbone networks;
- Mobile voice and data markets;
- Internet and broadband development and pricing, including 3G and 4G mobile (LTE);
- Convergence (voice/data, fixed/wireless/mobile);
- Mobile market forecasts for 2014 and 2017.

Angola is the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa. With peace restored in 2002 after decades of civil war, foreign investment has multiplied and the mobile market has soared despite a continued duopoly between Unitel and Angola Telecom’s Movicel. Intensified competition from a third mobile operator could accelerate growth further. Several multinational operators have expressed interest in such a licence or other strategic investments in Angola in the US$100 million range.

Competition was also introduced in the underdeveloped fixed-line market, but launch delays and consolidation among the newly licensed players have led to a duopoly in this sector as well between Angola Telecom (AT) and Mercury Telecom. After three years of loss-making operations, Telecom Namibia is pulling out of its investment in fixed-wireless operator Mundo Startel, citing regulatory obstacles.

EV-DO and WiMAX-based fixed-wireless as well as 3G and 4G (LTE) mobile broadband services are now also providing more internet access choices for consumers, competing with ATs ADSL, cable modem and Fibre to the Home (FttH) services. Prices have started to come down with the landing of WACS, the second international fibre optic submarine cable in the country, following years of monopolisation by AT of SAT-3/WASC, the only international cable serving the country until 2012. The operators have budgeted billions of US$ in investments into mobile broadband and national fibre backbone networks for the period 2013-15.

Angola Telecom is going through a restructuring process with the help of international consultants, which is seen as a step towards greater liberalisation of the country’s telecom market, improved efficiency of the national telco and its eventual privatisation. A majority stake in its mobile unit, Movicel has already been sold to private investors and a migration from CDMA to GSM/UMTS/LTE technology has delivered a boost to the mobile market in the past two years. AT has national and international fibre, copper and satellite infrastructure assets worth billions of US$. As part of the restructuring program, the government approved an injection of US$300 million into the company in November 2012. Angola is preparing to launch its first own communications satellite into orbit in 2014.

Market highlights:

- Second LTE service launched;
- Second international submarine fibre optic cable landed;
- New 40Tb/s international cable planned;
- 100Gb/s national fibre backbone network rollouts;
- Billions of US$ in investments budgeted for 2013-15;
- Angola Telecom restructuring;
- Strong interest in third mobile licence.

Estimated market penetration rates in Angola’s telecoms sector – end-2013
Market / Penetration rate
Mobile 89%
Fixed 1.5%
Internet 24%
(Source: BuddeComm based on various sources)

Companies covered in this report:

Angola Telecom; Movicel/MoviNet; Unitel; Mercury Telecom (MS Telecom); Telesel; Nexus; Mundo Startel (Telecom Namibia); Wezacom; Main One; Angola Cable; Angola Communication Systems (ACS); Snet; Multitel; Maxnet; Net One, Internet Technologies Group (ITG); TV Cabo (Visabeira); Portugal Telecom; Angola Cables.

1. Executive summary
2. Key statistics
2.1 Country overview
3. Telecommunications market
3.1 Market analysis 2013
4. Regulatory environment
4.1 Basic Telecommunications Law 2001
4.2 Regulatory authority
4.2.1 Angola Institute of Communications (INACOM)
4.3 Universal Service Fund
4.4 Interconnection
4.5 Telecom sector liberalisation in Angola
4.6 Foreign ownership
5. Fixed network operators in Angola
5.1 Fixed-line statistics
5.2 Angola Telecom (AT)
5.2.1 Privatisation
5.2.2 Fixed-line infrastructure
5.2.3 Wireless local loop
5.2.4 National fibre backbone network
5.2.5 Angosat
5.2.6 Infrasat
5.3 Mercury Telecom (MS Telcom)
5.3.1 National backbone network
5.4 Telesel/Nexus
5.5 Mundo Startel
5.6 Wezacom
6. International infrastructure
6.1 Satellite
6.2 Submarine cable networks
6.2.1 SAT-3/WASC
6.2.2 WACS
6.2.3 Main One
6.2.4 WASACE
6.2.5 Angola Cables
7. Internet market
7.1 A difficult beginning in war times
7.2 Internet statistics
7.3 Public telecentres and cybercafes
7.4 Internet Exchange Point (IXP)
7.5 Angola’s ISP market
7.5.1 Nexus
7.5.2 Angola Communication Systems (ACS)
7.5.3 MoviNet
7.5.4 Snet
7.5.5 Multitel
7.5.6 Maxnet
7.5.7 Net One
7.5.8 Internet Technologies Group (ITG)
8. Broadband market
8.1 ADSL
8.2 Wireless broadband
9. Convergence
9.1 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony
9.2 Broadband over Cable TV (CATV)
9.3 FttX
9.4 Triple play
9.5 E-government
10. Mobile communications
10.1 Overview of Angola’s mobile market
10.1.1 Mobile statistics
10.2 Major mobile operators
10.2.1 Movicel (Angola Telecom)
10.2.2 Unitel
10.3 Third generation (3G) mobile data services
10.4 LTE (4G)
10.5 Satellite mobile
11. Forecasts
11.1 Forecast mobile market – 2014; 2017
11.2 Notes on scenario forecasts
12. Related reports
Table 1 – Country statistics Angola – 2013
Table 2 – Fixed-line network statistics – 2013
Table 3 – Internet provider statistics – 2013
Table 4 – Internet user statistics – 2013
Table 5 – Mobile statistics – 2013
Table 6 – National telecommunications authority
Table 7 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Angola – 2000 - 2013
Table 8 – Internet users and penetration rate in Angola – 1999 - 2013
Table 9 – Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Angola – 1999 - 2013
Table 10 – Mobile subscribers in Angola by operator – September 2012
Table 11 – Unitel 3G broadband pricing – 2013 vs. 2011
Table 12 – Forecast mobile subscribers in Angola – 2014; 2017
Chart 1 – Mobile subscribers in Angola – 2002 - 2013

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