About 382 million (21%) African telecom subscribers are projected to be connected to the 5G (fifth-generation) network by 2030, from approximately 12% in 2025. This is according to a March 2026 report by GSMA titled ‘The Mobile Economy 2026.’
The surge is expected to be fueled by smartphone adoption, investment and an increase in telcos’ AI adoption in operations.
Internet adoption is rising in Africa, and the projection further cements the trends that Africa will not only grow in internet users but also in infrastructure. By another interpretation, 2 in every 10 Africans who use the internet will be connected by 5G.
While this might not be large in numbers, the drivers speak a lot about the development. This is especially so for a region known to be grappling with smartphone adoption due to affordability issues. However, the rising smartphone adoption rate is now one of the drivers for the increasing adoption of fifth-generation networks.
Smartphone adoption recently received a boost as the GSMA Coalition (G6) is planning to pilot affordable N55,000 4G smartphones in Nigeria, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. Although the devices are low-cost 4G networks, they will be fueling internet penetration and bringing more Africans online, especially in remote areas.
Another driver of 5G growth in Africa is AI. According to the GSMA report, investment in AI and emerging technologies, including data centres, AI chips and rapid adoption by operators, will be pivotal in delivering fast and reliable connectivity.
“Enhanced connectivity will boost efficiency and raise productivity for consumers and enterprises alike, enabling access to the latest wave of digital technologies, including 5G, IoT and AI,” part of the report reads.
African telcos are also expected to expand 5G-enabled services by deploying supported telecom towers for more coverage.
The current state of 5G in Africa
5G adoption in Africa is still at a nascent stage, as less than 10% of African internet users are currently connected to the network. This means that, on average, only 3 in every 200 internet users in Africa are connected using the fifth-generation network.
To bridge the gap, African telcos have been intensifying the expansion of their infrastructure by spreading. The advancement is heavily focused on Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to address the continent’s limited fibre.
For instance, MTN Nigeria has been driving 5G connectivity through broadband services, FibreX. Aside from MTN, Airtel Nigeria is also driving innovation, and together both telcos have put nearly 4% of Nigeria’s internet connections on 5G.
Another West African country, Ghana, recently rolled out its first 5G network. Through Next Gen InfraCo (NGIC), telcos in the country will be distributing the advanced network to users.
The network is also improving in South Africa which leads the continent in 5G penetration, with over 10.8 million users and more than 50% population coverage by September 2025. Operators such as MTN, Vodacom, Rain, Telkom, and Cell C are behind this push.
In addition to providing high-speed internet for users, 5G is expected to contribute $10 billion to the African economy by 2030, supporting fintech, agriculture, and other core aspects of the economy.
