This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.
Last Published: 3/26/2019


Overview

Côte d’Ivoire has one of the most developed telecommunication sectors in West Africa.  According to data from the National Telecom Regulator, ARTCI, the estimated cellular penetration rate was 130.62% in 2018 (most people have at least 2 SIM cards, often for different mobile networks).  There are three major mobile phone operators in the market, with a total of 22.4 million subscribers.  In the Internet market, there are 5 companies providing high-speed internet access.

The two companies that provide fixed line service in the country are Arobase, owned by MTN, and Côte d'Ivoire Télécom, the former state-owned company that was sold to France Télécom in 1997.  A new telecommunications code was adopted on March 21, 2012 to adapt the regulatory environment to technological changes.  The sector represents approximately 10% of GDP and annually contributes approximately $800 million to the country’s budget. 
 

 

2015

2016

2017

2018 (Jan-April)

Total Local Production

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Total Exports

6,300

12,554

4,147

4,915

Total Imports

107,539

292,668

65,746

98,850

Imports from the US
 

1,114

6,973

9,776

13,950

(total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)
NOTE: All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars; N/A =Not Available

Leading Sub-Sectors

Best prospects for U.S. suppliers in the telecommunication sector include prepaid calling cards, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment and tools, wireless networks, Wi-Fi equipment, Wi-max equipment, CDMA equipment, DSL equipment, GSM solutions and applications, call centers, fiber-optic cables, and billing solutions, mobile banking technologies. 

Opportunities

Given the interest in modernizing the sector, the Ivoirian telecommunication market for the full range of telecommunication equipment and components is growing, including copper and fiber optic cables, central office switches, cellular stations, data communications satellites, microwave communication equipment, and data storage.

Web Resources

Ministry of Post, Information and Communication Technologies 
Côte d’Ivoire’s Investment Promotion Centre (CEPICI)
Chambre de Commerce et d‘Industrie de Côte d’Ivoire
Bureau National d‘Etudes et de Développement (BNETD)
Ivoirian Customs Office
Telecom Regulatory Board 
Biotechnology Park


 

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