Angola has 25,9 million mobile phone subscribers and 8,8 million SIM cards with internet. The penetration rate of mobile phones in the population is close to 80%, but the internet rate is still far from desirable and does not reach 30%. The sub-Saharan region has a 70% internet penetration rate.
With Africell's entry into the mobile telephony market in December 2021, the sector grew by almost 70% to 25,9 million subscribers by September 2023, an increase compared to the 15,3 million subscribers in 2021. The operator with origins in Lebanon and American capital, it brought a new dynamic to the market, which was essentially dominated by Unitel, which held 90% of subscribers, with Movicel holding the remaining 10%.
Despite this new era in the mobile phone market, Unitel, which is entirely owned by the State, through the National Institute of Asset Management (IGAPE) and Sonangol, maintains hegemony, but has lost market share to 72% of the 25,9 million current subscribers.
Currently, the operator Africell only operates in the provinces of Luanda, Benguela and Huíla, but it is already the second largest operator in the mobile phone market with a 24% share, making (almost) disappear Movicel, which has only 4% of SIM cards active.
In comparative terms, in the last nine months of 2023, the mobile phone market grew 15,6% compared to the same period in 2022 (recording 21,8 million users).
It is the return to “normal” growth after the “boom” between 2021 and 2022, a period in which mobile phone subscriptions grew 49%. The arrival on the scene of the operator Africell was the major driver of record growth in the Angolan market.
Unitel, whose shares were appropriated by the State in 2022, has 18,6 million customers, which translates into an increase of 2,4 million subscribers compared to the first three quarters of 2022.
Africell increased its subscriber portfolio by another 1,5 million in this period, totaling 6,2 million. The big news is Movicel, which is gaining some momentum again after losing almost 2 million subscribers since 2018. The operator, whose largest shareholder is the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) with 51% of the capital, lost 922.459 customers in September 2022 to 1,1 million subscribers in the same period of 2023.
Mobile phone war in the biggest markets
In Benguela, Africell is already threatening Unitel. In what is the second largest mobile communications market in the country, with 2,2 million active SIM cards, Unitel is the leader with 1,2 million subscribers (52,4%). But Africell, in just one year, gained 42,9% of subscribers, totaling, at this point, 960.369 customers. Movicel has just 104.010 subscribers, corresponding to 4,7% of the Benguela market.
In the country's capital, the “orange” operator increased its distance from its biggest competitor. In the most important market, with 13,8 million subscribers (53% of the total), 8,1 million subscribers to the mobile telephone service are from Unitel and 5,1 million belong to Africell. In 2022, in the debut year of the American-owned operator, the State-owned operator had 7,6 million and Africell 5,6 million users. Another important market is Huíla, where Africell opened operations in August last year. The southern province of the country has close to 1,7 million subscribers. But it is still too early to compare the strength of operators in this market, as the Lebanese operator has been on the market for less than 6 months.
