Sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed dramatic growth in ICT access since the mid-1990s—mainly in mobile telecommunications

 The number of mobile phone users grew from 10 million in 2000 to more than 180 million in 2007. Propelling that growth was private investment of more than $20 billion between 1992 and 2005. Competition among mobile operators has produced a race to extend networks to cover more people. Coverage increased from 4 percent of the population in 1998 to 62 percent in 2006 (see figure). The widespread use of prepaid telephone service—the form of payment chosen by 97 percent of consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa—has made services accessible for the first time to low-income households.

Mobile telephone coverage in Africa, 1998 to 3Q 2006