Djibouti Telecom’s HSPA service improving mobile broadband connectivity. Djibouti is one of the last countries in the world allowing its national telco, Djibouti Telecom (DT) a monopoly on all telecom services, including fixed lines, mobile, internet and broadband. The lack of competition has meant that the market has not lived up to its potential, although the country has a service-based economy consistently growing at 5 to 6% per year and is one of the best connected for fibre optic international cables the region. Though broadband services in Djibouti remain very expensive, continuing to hold back the full growth potential of the sector, new link to subsea cables will increase bandwidth and encourage a reduction in access prices. Growth in the mobile and internet markets is accelerating in line with DTs investment in its mobile network. Nevertheless, competition and foreign investment are both required for the telecoms market to show solid development in coming years. In preparation for this, DT itself is forging international alliances.

Djibouti remaining one of the fastest growing telecom markets in Africa; submarine connections to improve with the SEA-ME-WE 5 cable by end-2016, reinforcing the country’s hub status for internet bandwidth in the Horn of Africa region; growth in the mobile and internet sector is accelerating ahead of 3G launch; Gulf Bridge International (GBI) signs MoU to land an extension of its cable to Djibouti. eServGlobal, the provider of end-to-end mobile financial services to emerging markets, is powering a comprehensive mobile money platform for Djibouti Telecom to provide mobile wallets to citizens of Djibouti.

The mobile money solution will be offered to all Djibouti Telecom subscribers to provide state-of-the-art cash management and e-payment services on mobile phones, such as cash-in/cash-out, airtime top-up, local transfers, international remittance, salary disbursement, bill and merchant payments.

Key developments:

• Djibouti remaining one of the fastest growing telecom markets in Africa;
• Submarine connections to improve with the SEA-ME-WE 5 cable by end-2016;
• Growth in the mobile and internet sectors accelerates with 3G launch;
• Gulf Bridge International (GBI) signs MoU to land an extension of its cable to Djibouti.

Estimated market penetration rates in Djibouti’s telecoms sector end-2015 (e)

Market	Penetration Rate
Mobile	26.9%
Fixed	2.5%
Internet	10%