Rwanda: Mobile penetration hits 63.7%

The monthly trend in mobile telephone penetration rate 2013 has steadily grown hitting a 63.7% mark from 55 per cent in the last nine months.

The growth rate has from January through July been consistent with more the one percent rate each month, but stayed constant between August and September with only a 0.1 percent rate from 63.6 percent to 63.7 percent respectively.

At the same time, South African based mobile giant-MTN Rwanda had the biggest increment of active mobile subscribers (90-days revenue generating subscribers) as of September 2013, the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (RURA) announced on October 18, 2013.

In the nine months range, MTN Rwanda active mobile subscribers grew from 3,454, 270 to 3.363,976 subscribers, followed by Millicom International Cellular owned -Tigo Rwanda doubling from 1, 877, 621 to 2,099, 807 and Bharti Airtel Rwanda which also made a good mark from 570, 739 to 973, 000 subscribers.

The total growth rate of active mobile subscribers of all telecommunication companies in Rwanda, grew from 5,902, 630 to 6,709,783 subscribers in the nine months range in 2013.

 With the recent development of communication facilities, the large majority of Rwandan population has continuously adopted the use of mobile phone as one of the technology platform to share information. Within this move, the mobile phone penetration has impressively increased from 2005 to 2010 across the whole country.

According the third Integrated Survey on Life Conditions (EICV), the percentage of households with at least one mobile phone which was 6.2 per cent in 2005/2006 has increase by 39 per cent to reach 45.2 per cent among the general population in 2010/2011.

The percentage of households which own at least a mobile phone also increased in urban areas (from 26.5% in 2005/2006 to 71.5% in 2010/2011) as well as in rural areas (from 2.2% in 2005/2006 to 40.6% in 2010/2011).

The mobile phone in Rwanda is used for different purposes: calls and short messages sending/receiving,  money transfer, recording and playing music and movies, picture shooting, listening to the radio, watching TV, internet connectivity, advert and publicity etc. The increase of ownership of mobile phones goes together with the increase of economic growth of a country.

Rwanda: Mobile penetration hits 63.7%