Sub Saharan Mobile Operators Bolster The COVID-19 Fight

As COVID-19 continues to fundamentally change the global landscape, GSMA has lauded the region’s mobile network operators’ efforts in supporting governments across Sub-Saharan Africa to contain the spread of the virus.

According to Akinwale Goodluck, GSMA’s Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, the response to the crisis situation by mobile network operators along with stakeholders ranging from governments, international infrastructure players such as Huawei Technologies as well as NGOs, and academics to ensure that connectivity keeps people informed has given credence to digital mobile services but hope in utilizing it to contribute services purposed to contain the pandemic.

While addressing journalists during an online press briefing, Goodluck said by virtue of the mobile industry players proactively engaging governments and initiating action and palliative measures to support the authorities at this crucial time the interventions are going a long way into managing the crisis even as the industry looks at gradually heaving from 4G to 5G.

The proponents of 5G are working closely with the mobile operators pioneering 5G, governments, vertical industries including automotive, financial services, healthcare providers, transport operators, utilities, and other industry sectors to develop business cases for 5G in Africa.

In the meantime, among the range of services the mobile operators are according pro bono services range from using big data to support contact tracing of infected persons, disseminating public information, promoting a cashless society by reducing or removing transaction costs for mobile money, Goodluck enumerated.

The operators are also providing flexible payment options for subscribers, aiding ‘work from home’ as well as pronouncements by governments by optimizing cost and internet services, and facilitating free calls between personnel in essential services to ease their communications during this crisis.

In an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the virus through handling cash in Kenya, Safaricom is allowing M-PESA users to send any amount below KES 1,000 for free until mid-June. Airtel is keeping 80 million low-income customers online, by extending their pre-paid packages and adding talk time to their accounts.

Goodluck observed that the experience of the sharp increase in data usage on in the various mobile operator networks depicted the increasing number of users: business owners, employees, teachers, students, and other professionals, who must now minimize their movement but still meet their contractual, professional, business, or educational obligations.

He explained that GSMA has since the crisis began, noted changes in network traffic patterns; pointing out that there is now higher data usage in areas where the network operators had not dimensioned to support such unusually high traffic.

“By 2025, 5G networks are likely to cover one-third of the world’s population. The impact on the mobile industry and its customers will be profound even in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA

Asked if this situation merited the deployment of 5G, Goodluck noted that 4G was still underutilized within the continent, but Africa has effectively proven good in leapfrogging. Huawei Technologies has a headstart of rolling out this technology in Africa. According to Goodluck 5G will account for as many as 1.2 billion connections by 2025. “By 2025, 5G networks are likely to cover one-third of the world’s population. The impact on the mobile industry and its customers will be profound even in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he projected.

In the meantime, Goodluck implied that more concentration by the subscribers and indeed the operators will incline on consuming data, majorly in residential locations, as they are now actively working and studying from their homes. Effectively, the increased usage of data is already expediting network optimization among the industry players.

“Providing robust and secure connectivity to individuals, businesses and governments have never been of greater importance and mobile network operators are working round the clock to ensure that their networks are providing the necessary backbone infrastructure for communication, alternative work arrangements, support for emergency services and information dissemination,” Goodluck averred.

“Providing robust and secure connectivity to individuals, businesses and governments have never been of greater importance and mobile network operators are working round the clock to ensure that their networks are providing the necessary backbone infrastructure for communication, alternative work arrangements, support for emergency services and information dissemination.”

Akinwale Goodluck, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, GSMA

Noting that at this critical time, mobile operators are experiencing various challenges in their efforts to ensure that the communities they support are able to overcome the situation at hand. These include:

Network capacity/network stability – Networks have seen significant surges in demand for network resources impacting voice, SMS, and data consumption coupled with increased pressure at call centers. This may result in significantly degraded Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE). In this regard, the proactive emergency regulatory intervention will be required, including, but not limited to, the immediate availability of free additional spectrum for a limited period of time granted by National Regulatory Authorities to enable mobile operators to continue to offer the best QoS/QoE and avoid mobile internet services congestion.
Resource challenges – Limited human capital resources, disrupted the supply chain and distribution processes will also impact service delivery and availability. All stakeholders, particularly National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), must now manage expectations, secure the necessary protection and assurance of critical infrastructure and the designation of communication services as essential services. Employees of communication service providers and their sub-contractors must also be granted essential services status and exempted from national restrictions. GSMA Sub-Saharan Africa also advocates that governments facilitate a dematerialization and digitization approach to permits, authorizations, and subscriptions to services.

Communication services in Sub-Saharan Africa are almost 100% reliant and dependent on mobile networks. Digital citizens are encouraged to be mindful of their fellow digital consumers to ensure that everyone can continue to enjoy good internet services whilst supporting the emergency services, such as connectivity to emergency centers and hospitals, without interruptions. NRAs must lead the campaign for responsible use of networks and the internet in order to preserve the telecommunication networks at this critical time.

At this crucial time, NRAs must also adopt a more pragmatic approach to regulation recognizing that planned work schedules will need to be adapted and rescheduled with focus on critical matters. NRAs are encouraged to suspend all pending consultation deadlines, sundry information requests, and non-critical routine reporting. We request that they also implement and fast track decision making and grant of approvals where required.

The mobile industry is confident that it can continue to offer services and provide a resilient network with the support and cooperation of governments and NRAs.