The growth of new fixed-line subscribers has slowed each year since 2003. In some countries, the number of fixed lines has been in absolute decline; the most notable example being South Africa, which lost 300,000 fixed-line subscribers between 2000 and 2007. The only real exception to this trend is Nigeria, which added 750,000 subscribers after the introduction of competition for fixed-line services. The fixed-line market in Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be dominated by incumbents—operators either formerly or currently owned by the state—and their performance remains relatively poor.
Net change in fixed telephone lines