Vodafone CEO Predicts 50% Internet Penetration In 5 Years

Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Haris Broumidis

Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Haris Broumidis, estimates internet penetration in Ghana to grow by 50 percent in 2019. This he said will be mainly fuelled by growth in network coverage, greater understanding of the local market and increase in smart phones and tablets.

He urged government, regulators and mobile operators to encourage the growth as it has a direct impact on improving living standards and the growth of businesses. “ICT solutions help businesses to connect better with their customers, help to cut cost, drive efficiency and improve profitability”, he said.

Speaking at the West Africa Telecom Summit in Accra, Vodafone Ghana's CEO emphasised that encouraging internet growth would require innovative ways of managing the growing demand of data consumption. He specifically proposed a sustaining pricing structure that does not erode value in data; investment in accessing network and innovative ways of bringing the internet into Ghanaian lives.

He said, “Since 2008, data has grown quite rapidly from mainly a SAT 3 fibre optic cable to 3G. Within the same period internet penetration had also grown from 7 to 24 percent in 2014, with the democratisation of internet to ensure they were readily available to homes and offices”.

According to him, Vodafone Ghana will support internet growth in the country by expanding into rural Ghana to connect them to the world and help grow SMEs.