Sonatel Group

News Summary:

On August 18, 2026, a report indicated that Africa’s fiber broadband market is entering a faster growth phase, driven by operator investments to expand FTTP networks, regulatory promotion of infrastructure sharing, and increased consumer demand for higher internet speeds. The report noted that countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal are accelerating FTTP deployments, while highlighting challenges such as expensive broadband deployments, low average revenue per user, repeated cable damage, and competition from SpaceX’s Starlink. Previously, on July 27, Sonatel reported a 9.3 percent year-on-year increase in first-half revenues, reaching XOF 1.050 trillion across its West African operations, which include Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sierra Leone. Over the same period, EBITDAaL progressed by 11.6 percent to XOF 510.8 billion, representing an EBITDAaL margin of 48.7 percent, with net income rising 10.5 percent to XOF 230 billion. This followed an announcement on July 17 that Sonatel partnered with Dakar Mobilité to integrate BRT ticket purchases and pass renewals into the Max it app, a collaboration that also covers transport card top-ups, Orange Bank services, station Wi-Fi, and data-based passenger flow management in Senegal. Earlier, on July 16, Sonatel deployed satellite ground station infrastructure at its teleport in Gandoul, Senegal, to support Eutelsat’s OneWeb satellite fleet, featuring 16 satellite antennas across 5 hectares.