In an era where fast and reliable connectivity drives progress, the 2025 internet speed rankings offer fresh insights into global digital infrastructure, affordability, and technological advancement.
According to the latest ‘Speedtest Global Index’ by American internet analytics company Ookla, Singapore leads the world with the fastest fixed broadband speeds, boasting an average download rate of 372.02 Mbps.
This milestone highlights Singapore’s long-term investment in digital infrastructure, particularly its Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN)—an open-access, high-speed network designed to deliver affordable internet with speeds reaching up to 1 Gbps.
Here are the top 10 countries with the fastest fixed internet speeds in 2025, as reported by Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index:
1. Singapore
Singapore tops the list with an exceptional average fixed internet speed of 372.02 Mbps. This is a result of Singapore’s strategic investments in cutting-edge digital infrastructure and widespread deployment of ultra-fast fibre-optic networks.
2. France
France holds second place at 315.38 Mbps, driven by continuous upgrades to its national broadband network and significant expansion of fibre-optic coverage across urban and rural areas.
3. United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates ranks third with 314.49 Mbps, reflecting its commitment to smart city initiatives and rapid telecommunications modernization, especially in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
4. Hong Kong
Hong Kong (SAR) offers an average speed of 310.24 Mbps, supported by its dense urban environment and well-developed broadband infrastructure, ensuring fast and reliable internet access for residents and businesses.
5. Chile
Chile stands out in Latin America with an impressive 297.75 Mbps, fueled by growing fibre-optic adoption and government efforts to enhance digital connectivity nationwide.
6. Iceland
Iceland delivers 297.50 Mbps, benefiting from its compact geography and strong public investment in high-speed broadband, enabling near-universal fibre access.
The United States averages 289.34 Mbps, reflecting a diverse digital landscape with major metropolitan areas offering very high speeds alongside ongoing efforts to improve broadband in rural regions.
8. South Korea
South Korea, a global technology leader, provides 288.54 Mbps, supported by advanced 5G and fibre networks that serve a tech-savvy population with high data demands.
9. Switzerland
Switzerland records speeds of 257.38 Mbps, maintaining robust and reliable connectivity through a well-established telecommunications infrastructure that spans both cities and countryside.
10. Denmark
Denmark rounds out the top ten with 255.82 Mbps, thanks to strong government initiatives promoting nationwide fibre deployment and aggressive 5G network rollouts.
Stakeholders in Africa’s internet ecosystem have stressed the need to expand the infrastructure for internet to boost connectivity across the country.
The stakeholders that included Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, National Coordinator of ngPIF, Prof. Wale Adedokun, CEO of IXPN, Muhammed Rudman, CEO of Open Access Data Centre (OADC) and Ayotunde Coker stressed the importance spoke at the Nigerian Peering and Interconnection Forum (ngPIF), in Lagos where they explored strategies for expanding Nigeria’s rapidly growing internet infrastructure.
Hosted by the Nigerian Network Operator Group (ngNOG) and the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), the forum attracted government officials, industry leaders, and technology experts committed to enhancing digital connectivity in Nigeria.
In his opening remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu, emphasized the critical role of internet connectivity in driving Nigeria’s economic growth and development.
Represented by Senior Adviser on Technology, Broadband & Innovation, Ganiyu Oseni, the governor reiterated the state government’s commitment to fostering digital inclusion and expanding infrastructure.
“Digital connectivity is not just a tool for communication; it is a catalyst for economic transformation. We are committed to supporting initiatives like ngPIF that push the boundaries of digital infrastructure and bring the benefits of connectivity to all Nigerians,” Mr Governor said.
The two-day forum featured a series of panel discussions and workshops, with participants focusing on key topics such as peering, interconnection, data centers, and the role of government in creating a conducive environment for digital innovation.
Prof. Adedokun, underscored the forum’s mission to bridge Nigeria’s digital divide, particularly between urban and rural areas.
“The essence of ngPIF is to foster collaboration among stakeholders to ensure internet resources are more accessible and affordable across Nigeria,” he told journalists.
Rudman echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of rural connectivity to ensure that all citizens can access the digital economy.
“The government’s support is crucial for expanding internet access in underserved areas, particularly through mechanisms like the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF),” Rudman explained.
Dr Coker, highlighted ngPIF’s role in building a robust peering community that includes infrastructure providers, content creators, service providers, and policymakers.
“This forum has evolved into a vibrant community dedicated to advancing Nigeria’s interconnection and peering infrastructure, putting the country on the global digital map,” Coker said.
As Nigeria continues its digital transformation, ngPIF remains a vital platform for stakeholders to collaborate, innovate, and shape the future of the country’s internet landscape.
The IoT West Africa Conference from July 2 to 4 underscored the transformative potential of Internet of Things (IoT) in revolutionising supply chain management.
Truss Ugavi, in collaboration with Unotelos Africa, noted significance of IoT adoption in enhancing operational efficiency, driving innovation, and fostering sustainable growth.
Jude Egbokwu, managing director of Unotelos Africa, providing insight into the potential of IoT in the supply chain sector.
“Our partnership with Truss Ugavi is a testament to our commitment to driving innovation and excellence. We believe IoT will shape the future of supply chain management,” he said.
Founder of Truss Ugavi, Azukaego Chukwuelue, reiterated the company’s commitment to advance supply chain operations through IoT.
“Our strategic partnership with Unotelos Africa demonstrates the potential of IoT in supply chain management, driving innovation, and operational excellence. We are dedicated to unlocking the potential of IoT to transform the supply chain landscape” .
Adenike Onasoga, general manager of Truss Ugavi Nigeria, spoke on far-reaching benefits of IoT adoption in the supply chain sector.
“The integration of IoT solutions will enhance visibility, improve efficiency, and optimise operations. As data centres continue to grow, we expect a surge in IoT solutions, leading to improved supply chain management,” she said.
Factors ranging from harsh operating business environments, and unintended consequences of regulatory intervention have culminated in the high mortality rate of internet service providers (ISPs).
According to sources, no fewer than 568 ISPs, who were members of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) have closed shops, a development that is inimical to the digitisation agenda of the Federal Government. Internet connectivity is pivotal for the digital economy and for mass digitalisation of the country while the role of ISPs is central also for uptake of internet of things (IoT).
An ISP is an organisation that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. They can be organised in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privately owned. According to the level of services they render, they could further be categorised into Ter1, Tier 2 and Tier 3.
Tier 1 ISPs sell access to their networks to Tier 2 ISPs. Tier 2 ISPs then sell Internet access to organisations and home users. However, sometimes Tier 1 ISPs may sell Internet access directly to organisations and individuals. Additionally, a second intermediary ISP, referred to as a Tier 3 ISP, may purchase network bandwidth from a Tier 2 ISP before selling that bandwidth to end users. Effectively, Tier 3 ISPs fall into the category of small, medium enterprises (SMEs) which is said to be the economic engine of the modern economy.
The January 2024 internet statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NNC) showed that Mobile (GSM) had 161,504,390 connections. It was 163,353,643 in December; while fixed wired had 21,437. ISP (Wired/Wireless) accounted 213,876; VoIP: 238,180 which was 249,816 in December; bringing total to 161,977,883 signifying a decline because it was 163,838,439 the previous month. The report showed that broadband subscriptions stood at 92,195,937 while penetration fell from 43.71 per cent in December 2023 to 42.53 per cent in January 2024.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) last year report, SMEs contribute about 48 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP, making them a critical driver of economic growth and development. SMEs are involved in various sectors of the economy, including technology, agriculture, manufacturing, services, and retail, among others.
The Emerging Technologies Research Unit of the Research and Development Department, NCC has acknowledged the high mortality rate of ISPs. It said over the years, many ISPs had been licensed but findings show that not all are still in business. ISPs in the Nigerian telecommunications industry have been struggling to stay afloat due to challenges confronting their market to remain in business, expand operations and post profit after every financial year.
In its report entitled: An Exploratory Study on the Challenges and Survivability of ISP Licencees in the Nigerian Telecom Sector, it said the licence renewal rate of ISPs in Nigeria continues to drop, even as others take up the licence.
A detailed assessment of the challenges facing ISPs in Nigeria were found to include competition with MNOs offering ISP services, harsh business environment and inadequate national Broadband Infrastructure.
Additional, multiple taxation by different levels of government, and unfavourable conditions for the industry in terms of disparity between advertised Internet speeds and actual speed obtainable on the networks, inadequate provision of redundancy by ISPs to handle network down time and lack of compensation for downtime and poor quality of service.
CEO of Information Connectivity Solutions Limited, Yemi Oshodi, at a forum last year, identified cost and pushed for more open access initiative, innovation around energy supply including mini-grids to rural communities.
As the number of the operators kept rising year after year however, so also did the number of unsuccessful operators who were compelled to shut down operations due to inability to cope in the challenging market.
NCC noted that pioneer Nigerian ISPs faced intense competition when mobile network operators, with their large subscriber base, started offering Internet services, crashing the price of data, and inadvertently making the business unprofitable for small operators.
As a result, there has been a huge churn in the industry due to the inability of the ISPs to renew their licences.
Experts noted, however, that the successful operators were those who have carved a niche for themselves in the market or act as resellers for the MNOs.
Major operators in the ISP space have identified numerous huddles they have had to cope with and, in fact, many of them have bowed to these challenges to exit the market.
Some of these challenges are general to the telecoms sector while some are specific to consumer dissatisfaction with ISPs such as competition with MNOs offering ISP services; harsh business environment; inadequate national broadband infrastructure and multiple-taxation.
Others are vandalism of infrastructure; disparity between advertised Internet speeds and actual speed obtainable on the networks; inadequate provision of redundancy by ISPs to handle network down time and lack of compensation for downtime; poor service quality; inexplicable depletion of data services; auto renewal of service among others.
The above challenges have led to the low rate of renewal of licenses by the ISPs, which is affecting the Internet service segment of the country’s telecoms sector.
• As good as technology is, the lack of it can turn the world upside down. LUCAS AJANAKU writes on the undersea cable cut, which has paralysed internet services across parts of Africa.
As of December 2022, according to statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), total fibre optics deployment across the country stood at 96,198 km (terrestrial fibre and submarine cable).
Since the fibre optic cables are laid under the ground, they are highly susceptible to cuts during road and other infrastructure constructions across the country.
Fibre optic network technology is generally accepted in the telecom sector because it is the fastest and most widely used medium of backhaul transmission that offers the required capacity and capability to meet the required telecoms needs of customers. It provides enhanced features and advantages that are superior to copper-based and wireless backhaul transmission options.
When this infrastructure is vandalised, it leads to low browsing/download speed, high drop call rate, low call setup success rate/congestion and voice quality degradation (clipping voice).
The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) confirmed receiving reports of cuts on their fibre network of the MNOs arising from the action of contractors that have just moved to the site.
The Chairman of the group, Gbenga Adebayo said there were reports of multiple fibre cuts that took a toll on the integrity of the network. He said that the cut underscored the need for the Federal Government to quickly categorise telecom infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
Also reacting to the network outage, Nigeria’s largest carrier, MTN had appealed for understanding to its 87,038,768 customers, representing 38.79 per cent of the total 224,713,710 subscribers, according to the Subscriber Data/Teledensity Data of January 2023 compiled by the NCC.
“Our customers have been experiencing challenges connecting to the network due to a major service outage caused by multiple fibre cuts affecting voice and data services. Our engineers are working hard to resolve the problem; with services gradually being restored in some areas.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and ask for your patience and understanding as the team works hard to restore full service as soon as possible,” a statement from the telco said.
Also reacting, the Communication Lead at 9mobile, Chineze Amanfo said the telco has also received reports about cuts on its fibre optic cables, leading to subscribers’ nightmares on the network. Like MTN, she assured that services would be normalised as engineers were already on the field to fix the problem.
Just as the social and business communities were recovering from the disruptions to February 28 multiple terrestrial fibre cuts last week, another cable shock hit the country and some countries on the Continent. Most shocking was that it was the undersea cables that were adjudged most secure that experienced multiple major breaks. MainOne, SAT3, WACS and ACE were all breached; thus crippling internet connectivity in 13 African countries, including Nigeria, Cote d’ Ivoire, Liberia, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cameroon, Gabon, Namibia, Niger, Lesotho and parts of South Africa.
The cable outages are affecting several internet service providers (ISPs) and cloud service providers across the Continent, leaving them unconnected.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Vodacom said: “Certain customers are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues due to multiple undersea cable failures affecting SA’s network providers, including us. We apologise for any inconvenience this might have caused our esteemed customers.”
The outage has also affected services such as Microsoft Azure and Office 365.
In a recent update, Microsoft said: “We have determined that multiple fibre cables on the West Coast of Africa—WACS, MainOne, SAT3, ACE—have been impacted which reduced total capacity supporting our regions in South Africa.
“In addition to these cable impacts, the ongoing cable cuts in the Red Sea—EIG, Seacom, AAE-1—are also impacting capacity on the East Coast of Africa. This combination of incidents has impacted all Africa capacity–including other cloud providers and public internet as well.”
Like the previous domestic terrestrial cable outage, MTN issued a statement explaining the cause of the downtime. The company said: “We apologise for the challenges you may be experiencing with internet speed and accessing data services at the moment.
“This is a result of damage to international undersea cables across East and West Africa. The repair process is ongoing to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Please, look out for further updates,” it stated.
Continuing, the statement said: “Starting at 10:30 UTC on March 14 2024, customers using Azure Services in South Africa, North and South Africa, West may experience increased network latency or packet drops when accessing their resources,” Microsoft had also explained on Azure status.
A major internet provider for most Nigerian banks and internet providers, MainOne also suffered a major fibre cut in Ghana that has knocked many major money deposit banks offline, according to internal communication sent to bank members of staff. As a result, customers of major Nigerian banks could not access their banking apps or use any Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) service.
Many customers confirmed they have been unable to use their banking apps or access the internet smoothly.
Sterling Bank, a Nigerian bank, has issued a communication to customers, informing them that some online banking activities have been “experiencing difficulties.”
Lemfi, an African remittance start-up had also informed customers that it is experiencing a downtime.
To underscore the severity of the connectivity outage, many shoppers who were used to using their automated teller machine (ATM) cards to pay for goods bought via Point of Sales (PoS) at popular shopping mall, Spar Stores at its Ilupeju outlet were disappointed as they were told to provide cash. Many left without shopping since the cable cuts had also hit their banking apps.
Many of the cable companies affected would have to pay their customers for downtime, in line with service level agreement (SLA). Nigeria’s MainOne has subsequently declared a Force Majeure, which might not extricate it from financial liability service outage.
The company said a Force Majeure event describes an activity beyond its reasonable control for example riots, and earthquakes among other catastrophes. Commercial contracts typically include such a clause which enables service providers to suspend contractual obligations for the duration of such disruptions.
“Nonetheless, we are working to provide restoration services to as many of our customers as possible, and to complete the repairs to the cable system in record time,” the company said.
It said it took action after testing of the cable system and when enough technical data from the preliminary assessment indicated some underwater activity was the likely cause.
MainOne, which had estimated the restoration timeline of the cable to between two and three weeks, said it has started the process of restoring services to some of its customers.
On what could have specifically caused the cable cuts, the company said most submarine cable faults occur as a result of human activities such as fishing and anchoring in shallow waters near shore, natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides and then equipment failure.
“Given the distance from land and the cable depth of about 3 km at the point of fault, any kind of human activity – ship anchors, fishing, drilling and others has been immediately ruled out.
“Our preliminary analysis would suggest some form of seismic activity on the seabed resulted in a break to the cable, but we will obtain more data when the cable is retrieved during the repair exercise,” MainOne said.
On whether it was a deliberate sabotage, the company said it was most unlikely.
“Not likely, given the location and cable depth, and as indicated above, we have strong indications on probable cause,” the company said.
The cable company, in a note shared with The Nation, said: “We have restored services to some customers and are actively working on restoring services to others via capacity acquired on available cable systems. The estimated repair time is for our submarine cable fault to be fixed, to enable our services to become fully restored and independently supply capacity to our customers,” it said.
From the experience of several telecom subscribers during these severe multiple fibre optic breaks, it is clear that a world without internet is no longer imaginable because it has pulled down the fetters of distance and made the world truly a global village.
Submarine cable
Wikipedia described a submarine communications cable as a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables were laid beginning in the 1850s and carried telegraphy traffic, establishing the first instant telecommunications links between continents; such as the first transatlantic telegraph cable which became operational on August 16 1858.
Submarine cables first connected all the world’s continents (except Antarctica) when Java was connected to Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, in 1871 in anticipation of the completion of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line in 1872, connecting to Adelaide, South Australia and thence to the rest of Australia.
Subsequent generations of cables carried telephone traffic, then data communications traffic. These early cables used copper wires in their cores, but modern cables use optical fibre technology to carry digital data, which includes telephone, Internet and private data traffic.
Modern cables are typically about 25 mm (1 in) in diameter and weigh around 1.4 tons per kilometre (2.5 short tons per mile; 2.2 long tons per mile) for the deep-sea sections which comprise the majority of the run, although larger and heavier cables are used for shallow-water sections near shore.
In Nigeria, there are now seven international submarine cables, with over 40 Tbps of capacity, including SAT3 cable, MainOne cable, Glo1 cable, ACE cable and WACS cable, landed by Natcom, MainOne, Glo 1, Dolphin Telecom and MTN respectively.
There is also a submarine cable connecting Kribi in Cameroon to Lagos in Nigeria, the Nigeria-Cameroon Submarine Cable System (NCSCS). The NCSCS is owned by Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL), in a partnership with MainOne to land the NCSCS cable at MainOne’s Lagos Cable Landing Station.
Then, there is Google’s private cable Equiano and the 2Africa undersea cable by Facebook’s parent company.
According to the Association of Cable Operators of Nigeria (ASCON), Nigeria has used less than 10 per cent of its five submarine cables capacity as of early 2019.
Massive internet outages have been reported in Nigeria following damage to international undersea cables supplying the country with connectivity.
Telecommunications companies and a number of banks which rely on the affected cables for internet services have been affected by the outage.
According to reports, the damage affected major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and has led to internet downtime across West and South African countries.
However, Glo 1, owned by Nigeria’s leading digital services company, Globacom, was not affected by the damage and has continued to operate normally. Data users, internet service providers and financial institutions which run on Glo 1 have continued to operate normally.
Industry analysts believe the *sturdy* nature and resilience of Glo 1 International Submarine Cable is the reason why the damage did not affect the cable.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has listed the top 10 States with the most internet users in Nigeria.
A check on the NBS database recently revealed that the number of internet subscribers stood at 163.8 million as of December 2023.
It added that as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, data on internet usage across the country reveals fascinating insights into which states are leading in digital connectivity.
This figure means that internet users in the country have witnessed significant growth as more citizens gained access to the internet despite the high cost of living occasioned by the removal of subsidy and floating of naira, among others.
Last year, it was reported that internet users were about 154.8 million, a 1.35 per cent compared to the previous year (2021) which stood at 141.9 million.
The bureau said the upward movement marked a 9.07 per cent growth in internet subscribers for the sector in the period reviewed.
“On a quarter-on-quarter basis, this grew by 1.35 per cent,” NBS added.
For Q4 2023, based on the NBS data, here are the top 10 States with the highest number of internet users in Nigeria:
The Federal Government has subscribed to a free and secure internet for Africa to bridge the digital divide and create innovative opportunities within the continent.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who canvassed this position at the just-concluded Africa Internet Governance Forum at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to engendering collaborations and international dialogues to achieve these objectives.
The Minister, who addressed the forum virtually, said Nigeria, as the largest telecoms market in Africa, is conscious of the dynamics of emerging technologies around Internet usage and would continue to work with countries in Africa on different fronts to ensure that the Internet is effectively governed so its innumerable resources can be leveraged for citizens and nation’s growth.
“The need for our consistent collaboration to develop our economy collectively is preeminent in the agenda of the current administration in Nigeria. It is through this kind of forum that we can bridge the digital divides, enhance cybersecurity, ensure digital rights and foster innovation. It is, therefore, our collective duty to ensure that the Internet remains open, safe and beneficial for all,” Tijani told parliamentarians and other participants from Africa.
He commended the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and other agencies that constituted the Local Organising Committee (LOG), on behalf of the Federal Government as well as sponsors, for a successful 2023 AfIGF.
The Minister was delighted that their effective planning and dedication to driving change in Africa’s digital future is commendable.
Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, provided insights on the commission’s commitment to driving a secure Internet ecosystem a through various regulations.
Danbatta stated that Nigeria has attained tremendous growth in broadband penetration, basic Internet usage, and voice subscriptions and recorded impressive contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The NCC CEO said that, as Nigeria hosted this year’s edition of the AfIGF, the country was focused on sharing experiences with other sister nations in Africa as well as learning from the AfIGF parliamentarians from Africa who gathered at the forum to collectively drive the frontiers of the ideals of proper utilization of Internet resources to promote socio-economic development on the African continent.
Chief of the Section on Innovation and Technology at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Dr Mactar Seck, thanked the NCC and all entities of government that provided support and played a great role in ensuring the success of the event, said with a forum such as the AfIGF, African nations can continue to aggregate views that allow them to speak with one voice to get greater benefits for African economic development.
“I sincerely thank the EVC of the NCC, Prof. Danbatta, who is playing a great role in the development of digital technology in Nigeria. I also appreciate the AfIGF Secretary General, other sister agencies, and the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) that made the event successful,” he said.
Also speaking at the weeklong event, the Secretary of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance, Honourable Samuel George of Ghana, called for free Internet “that is inclusive, safe and secured for all citizens of Africa.” He said this can only be achieved through collaborative effort by coming together to build an inclusive Africa.
“For Africa to be self-sufficient, it must create an enabling environment and laws and provide digital infrastructures for young innovators to strive. This will, in turn, promote indigenous and local content development in technological development,” George said.
This year’s edition of the AfIGF with the theme: “Transforming Africa’s Digital Landscape: Empowering Inclusion, Security and Innovation”, which took place at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, provided yet another veritable platform for African countries to discuss germane issues that will pave the way for the development of a more robust digital economy in the continent.
Meanwhile, after the event, a communique was issued detailing resolutions made at the event and concrete recommendations, based on which Danbatta urged the participants to ensure effective implementations when they return to their respective countries ahead of next year’s forum.
Before the AfIGF, which started from September 19-23, 2023, the 11th Africa School of Internet Governance (AfriSIG), took place from September 13-18, 2023 and was facilitated by the Association for Progressive Communications, the Africa Union, Research ICT Africa, the Africa Parliamentary Track and the United Nations-IGF Secretariat and the Africa Youth IGF.
ABOUT 51.2 per cent of the global population, or 3.9 billion people, will, at the end of the year, be using the internet, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said.
The ITU is the United Nations’ (UN’s) specialised agency for information communication technologies (ICT). Of all ITU regions, the strongest growth was reported in Africa, where the percentage of people using the internet increased from 2.1 per cent in 2005 to 24.4 per cent in 2018.
According to the estimates, the regions with the lowest growth rates were Europe, with 79.6 per cent, and the Americas, with 69.6 per cent of the population using the Internet. In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, 71.3 per cent will be using the internet, 54.7 per cent in the Arab states and 47 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region.
ITU’s Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, said the agency’s global and regional estimates for 2018 are a pointer to the great strides the world is making towards building a more inclusive global information society.
“By the end of 2018, we will surpass the 50/50 milestone for internet use. This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society. However, far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy. We must encourage more investment from the public and private sectors and create a good environment to attract investments, and support technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline,” he said.
The new estimates show that there continues to be a general upward trend in the access to and the use of ICT, according to the Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Brahima Sanou.
Access to telecoms networks, he said, has continued to increase, particularly in mobile connections. “However, affordability should continue to be at the top of our priorities for the digital economy to become a reality for all,” he said.
According to ITU, in developed countries, slow and steady growth has increased the percentage of population using the Internet from 51.3 per cent in 2005 to 80.9 per cent in 2018. In developing countries, growth has been much more sustained, increasing from 7.7 per cent in 2005 to 45.3 per cent at the end of this year.
Mobile access to basic telecoms services is becoming ever more predominant. While fixed-telephone subscriptions continue to decline with a penetration rate of 12.4 per cent this year, the number of mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions is greater than the global population. Growth in mobile cellular subscriptions in the last five years was driven by countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa regions. But the same growth was minor in the Americas and the CIS region while a decline was observed in Europe and the Arab states.
Broadband access has continued to demonstrate sustained growth, while fixed-broadband subscriptions are increasing. Also continuing the trend reported in 2017, there were more fixed-broadband connections, with 1.1 billion in 2018 than fixed-telephone than the 942 million recorded last year.
The growth in active mobile-broadband subscriptions has been much stronger, with penetration rates increasing from 4.0 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2007 to 69.3 in 2018. The number of active mobile-broadband subscriptions have increased from 268 million in 2007 to 5.3 billion this year.
Developing countries are registering much faster growth in mobile broadband subscriptions compared to developed countries. In developing countries, penetration rates have reached 61 per 100 inhabitants in 2018, with much more scope for further growth in the coming years. In LDCs, penetration rates went up from virtually zero in 2007 to 28.4 subscriptions per 100 in 2018. The strongest growth in mobile broadband subscriptions has been observed in Asia-Pacific, the Arab states and Africa.
Nearly the entire world population, or 96 per cent, now lives within the reach of a mobile cellular network. Furthermore, 90 per cent of the global population can access the internet through a 3G or higher speed network.
ITU estimated that, globally this year, almost half of all households had at least, one computer up from just above a quarter in 2005. In developed countries, 83.2 per cent of households possess a computer this year, compared with 36.3 per cent in developing countries. LDCs showed the strongest growth during the period 2005-2018. This year, less than 10 per cent of households in LDCs has a computer. The strongest growth rates were observed in the Arab states and the CIS region. In Africa, the proportion of households with access to a computer increased from 3.6 per cent in 2005 to 9.2 per cent this year.
Internet access at home is gaining traction. ITU estimated that almost 60 per cent of household has internet access at home in 2018, up from less than 20 per cent in 2005. In developing countries, almost half of all households has internet access at home, a considerable increase compared with 8.4 per cent in 2005. Regional developments broadly follow the trends observed for households with computers.
Loyalty programs have become a regular staple in the retention strategies of most Nigerian businesses – whether big or small. Yet, the bulk of customers, especially those of a service business, want much more than the momentary appeal of coupon codes and loyalty points.
In a world where consumers are bombarded with a flurry of product options at neck-breaking speed, brand loyalty can seem like a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
But businesses that differentiate themselves from the competition often stand a better chance of rewriting the rules of the game, eventually grabbing a substantial share of the market. So, apart from offering generic incentives as a way to shore up loyalty, businesses could raise the stakes a few notches higher by offering a critical and sustainable solution to the customer at no extra cost.
Today, for instance, discerning businesses are fast hopping on the free Wi-Fi train, a model that has already influenced about 49% of business and leisure travelers to choose one hotel over another. This shift in brand preference is not peculiar to the hospitality industry alone. In 2015, a joint survey by Air Tight Networks and IHL Group, showed that 27.5% of retailers saw a significant spike in repeat purchases and rising loyalty levels due to the deployment of free, in-store Wi-Fi service.
Nigeria, despite ranking number one in internet affordability in the 2018 Inclusive Internet Index by The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), broadband access remains a luxury for many people and businesses who rely on broadband connectivity to meet both personal and business obligations.
Why you should offer free Wi-Fi to customers
For businesses in the service segments, especially restaurants, lounges, bars and merchant locations, moving a customer from a fickle fan to a die-hard follower can seem daunting, considering the plenitude of options and competitive offerings that are always available to the customer. But a clearly articulated retention strategy that zooms the lenses on meeting the consumer’s intrinsic needs can be a game changer.
For most consumers, particularly Generation X and Millennials, the availability of a Free Wi-Fi service at a favorite hangout location remains the perfect icing on the cake – one which not only guarantees a sense of satisfaction, but one likely to prompt several comebacks. Executed correctly, as seen in the hundreds of businesses that have embraced free Wi-Fi offering, this incentive remains a sure-fire way to grow footfalls, exceed customers’ expectations and improve retention.
Against the age-long notion of what influences buying behavior, customer experience is racing fast to outpace price as the single most essential differentiator in the marketing mix. According to a 2017 study by Gartner Inc, a world’s leading research and advisory firm and member of the S&P 500, customer experience is the new battleground where a brand either fortifies its competitive advantage to stay relevant or become weakened by the realities of the external environment, including changing customer expectations.
In 2014, research by one of the world’s largest Wi-Fi service platforms, Devicescape, showed that 62% of customer-facing businesses recorded a significant growth in foot traffic and higher customer spending, following their introduction of a complimentary Wi-Fi service to the customers.
“The survey results show how important the provision of customer-facing Wi-Fi has become for retail businesses. The availability of Wi-Fi is no longer an innovation limited to the large retail chains—small businesses are now offering the same services in their establishments, for both employees and customers. In the near future, small businesses will consider Wi-Fi as fundamental to their success as electricity or running water,” iGR founder and President Iain Gillott said in his reaction to the study.
The Red Cheetah advantage
In March this year, lovers of fast and reliable internet services woke up to the launch of Red Cheetah Free Wi-Fi in Lagos, a digital lifestyle offering from the stable of SWIFT Networks Limited. The service, which is currently available at over 400 top locations, including Barcelos, Hard Rock Cafe, Tastee Fried Chicken, Sweet sensation, SLOT, 3CHub, amongst others, aims to reach an initial 10,000 locations across Lagos in the short term.
Supported by advertising revenue from leading partners and global brands, many Nigerian businesses have found the platform an indispensable tool for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SWIFT Networks Limited, Mr. Charles Anudu, urged Nigerian businesses to maximize the Free Wi-Fi service as a valuable incentive to drive customer retention and improve the bottom-line.
“As a critical enabler of economic growth and access to opportunities, we believe that brands that embrace Red Cheetah will take the early lead in distinguishing themselves and ultimately be the biggest winners in the race for the heart and loyalty of the millennial customer,” he stated.
