Africa’s rural digital divide is often described as a challenge of infrastructure, cost, or geography. However, evidence suggests the issue is more structural and more solvable. The real constraint may not be towers, fibre, or even demand. It is timing: specifically, the timing of low-band spectrum allocation.

Findings from the Spectrum and Rural Connectivity  report by the GSMA point to a decisive conclusion: sub-1 GHz frequencies, also known as low-band spectrum, are the single most important tool for expanding rural connectivity. Across much of Africa, these bands remain underused, fragmented, or delayed.

The numbers speak for themselves. Adding just 50 MHz of spectrum below 1 GHz is linked to a 7 percentage-point increase in 4G coverage and an 11-point increase in 5G coverage. Countries assigning more than 130 MHz in these bands consistently achieve rural download speeds above 50 Mbps, while those with less than 100 MHz often fall short. The implication is clear: Africa’s rural digital divide is less a technology problem than a spectrum allocation problem.

In this #TechTalkThursday article, we take a closer look at why low-band spectrum is Africa’s most undervalued connectivity lever and what it could mean for rural communities, economies, and future 5G deployments.  

The Physics of Inclusion

Low-band spectrum, particularly 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 900 MHz, travels further and penetrates buildings better than mid-band or high-band frequencies. A base station operating in the 700 MHz band can cover up to 3.7 times the distance of one relying solely on 2.6 GHz, translating into over 10 times greater coverage area per site.

In Africa’s rural geographies, where population density is low and backhaul infrastructure limited, this makes a huge difference, but coverage is only half the equation.

The GSMA report demonstrates that capacity at the “cell edge”,  the outer limits of a rural site’s coverage area, depends almost entirely on how much low-band spectrum is available. Rural users located kilometres from a tower often rely exclusively on sub-1 GHz frequencies. If those bands are narrow or fragmented, speeds degrade quickly.

This is not theoretical. Econometric analysis across 97 countries and more than 230 operators shows that doubling the total amount of available spectrum increases average rural download speeds by 15%. More spectrum equals better rural experience. The data is unambiguous. 

“Our analysis shows that low-band spectrum is the foundation of rural mobile connectivity and making more available – at affordable prices and with long-term regulatory certainty – can dramatically improve rural coverage, boost speeds and reduce deployment costs.”

–Luciana Camargos, Head of Spectrum, GSMA 

Spectrum Allocation, Pricing, and the Cost of Delay

So why is Africa lagging? 

Across many markets, the 700 MHz “digital dividend” band, freed from analogue broadcasting, has been partially assigned, delayed, or priced aggressively. Some portions remain unused, while other holdings are fragmented across operators. Every year of delay comes with a cost.

GSMA data shows that countries assigning more low-band spectrum achieve higher coverage and faster speeds. Countries with less than 100 MHz often see rural download speeds remain below 50 Mbps. This affects daily life: slower access to digital learning tools, lower-quality telehealth services, reduced productivity for small businesses, and weaker foundations for future IoT applications. A delayed allocation in 2020 can create a five-year lag in rural network development. 

Spectrum pricing is also critical. Global revenue per MHz has dropped 67 percent over the past decade due to falling consumer prices and rising bandwidth demand. Despite this, many regulators still use legacy pricing models. The GSMA finds that reducing the spectrum cost-to-revenue ratio by 10 percent is linked to a 4-point increase in 4G coverage, a 6-point rise in 5G coverage, and speed improvements of up to 8 percent. 

High spectrum costs may boost short-term government revenue, but they constrain long-term network growth. In rural Africa, expensive spectrum effectively acts as a connectivity tax.

“We need more digital resiliency, and we need to close the digital gap. It will not happen by just doing the same thing that we did over the last 20 years. It requires something different.”

-Toni Pellegrino, Managing Director, Nokia South Africa 

The Human and Economic Impact

Low-band spectrum is also more than a technical issue. It drives real economic and social change. Mobile broadband expansion in Nigeria increased household consumption by 5.8–9 percent, reduced extreme poverty by 8 points, and raised labor force participation by 3.3 points. In Tanzania, 3G coverage was linked to 7–11 percent higher per-capita consumption and a 5–7 point reduction in poverty.

Rural networks help farmers access markets, allow traders to coordinate logistics, and let small businesses reach customers. Delays or limited spectrum reduce these benefits. Every year that spectrum sits idle slows the economic and social advantages connectivity can provide. Low-band spectrum is therefore a powerful lever for inclusive development.

Urban Growth, Rural Challenges, and the Risk of Two Speeds

African cities are accelerating mid-band 5G deployments, boosting urban capacity and high-speed services. Rural regions, however, still depend almost entirely on low-band frequencies. Without careful spectrum planning, Africa risks creating a two-speed digital economy: high-capacity urban ecosystems moving forward while rural regions lag behind. The gap in network quality is already widening.

The problem is not lack of ambition or technology. Africa has repeatedly leapfrogged in digital innovation, from mobile money to digital identity platforms. The challenge is spectrum sequencing discipline: allocating and pricing low-band spectrum strategically to enable rural inclusion.

The Future: Low-Band 5G as Strategic Infrastructure

The stakes are rising. Advanced wireless systems already show that network capacity can scale without proportional cost increases. 

“A single piece of our equipment can provide as much capacity as 16 to 20 traditional units, managed entirely by software and remotely. That means rural networks can expand faster without waiting for costly on-site upgrades.” 

-Jean-Philippe Fournier, CEO and Founder, Spectronite

This kind of capability demonstrates what becomes possible when spectrum availability and technology innovation align. Low-band 5G alone could generate 130 billion dollars in global economic value by 2030, with roughly half expected from large-scale connected applications in agriculture and transport. For Africa, where agriculture employs a significant share of the population and logistics corridors underpin trade, low-band 5G is not optional infrastructure. It is strategic infrastructure.

Data is clear: more low band spectrum drives higher coverage, faster rural speeds, better quality at the cell edge, and a stronger economic case for rural investment. Africa’s rural digital divide is not inevitable. It results from policy timing. Low-band spectrum may not be glamorous or headline-grabbing, but it is foundational. 

If regulators align allocation timing, pricing, and refarming strategies with long-term inclusion goals, rural connectivity can accelerate significantly. If not, the gap between metro Africa and rural Africa will continue to grow—not because technology failed, but because the spectrum sat idle for too long.