Ericsson Mobility Report: Sub-Saharan Africa Set to Record Fastest 5G Subscription Growth
Total mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to reach 1.31 billion in 2031, up from 1.05 billion in 2025. Over the forecast period, legacy 2G and 3G networks are expected to shrink significantly as 4G and 5G become the dominant technologies.
Global 5G mobile subscriptions passed the three billion mark during the first quarter of 2026. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the transition from legacy networks to advanced connectivity is accelerating at an rapidly. According to the June 2026 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to see the fastest 5G subscription growth globally, rising from around 30 million in 2025 to roughly 370 million by 2031.
Total mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to reach 1.31 billion in 2031, up from 1.05 billion in 2025. Over the forecast period, legacy 2G and 3G networks are expected to shrink significantly as 4G and 5G become the dominant technologies. LTE (4G) subscriptions are forecast to grow from 490 million in 2025 to 610 million by 2031, accounting for 46 percent of all subscriptions. Concurrently, 5G is expected to reach 28 percent of all mobile subscriptions by the end of 2031.
Data consumption in the region continues to scale. Average monthly mobile data per active smartphone in Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to grow from 5.3 GB in 2025 to 12 GB in 2031. Total mobile data traffic in the region is forecast to grow from 2.8 EB per month in 2025 to 9.7 EB per month in 2031.
“The acceleration of 4G and 5G is a defining opportunity for Africa to leapfrog into the AI era. By transitioning away from legacy networks, we are building the foundation for a vibrant, inclusive digital economy. With the right collaborative investments in spectrum and policy frameworks, Africa is positioned to fully participate in, and benefit from, the AI boom.”
– Majda Lahlou Kassi, Vice President and Head, Ericsson West and Southern Africa
“As digital transformation scales across the continent, the rise of AI and uplink-heavy applications, such as XR and autonomous devices, will fundamentally change traffic patterns. We are committed to delivering the high-performing, programmable networks needed to meet these new demands and support Africa’s innovators and enterprises.”
– Alain Maupin, Vice President and Head, Ericsson East and North Africa at Ericsson Europe, Middle East and Africa
In addition to mobile connectivity, service providers in Sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly diversifying their offerings. Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is emerging as a key focus area to connect both consumers and enterprises, presenting significant long-term potential to address the region’s underlying demand for reliable broadband.
Reflecting broader global trends in the June 2026 EMR, uplink traffic is growing faster than downlink for most service providers globally. The main current drivers are smartphone communication and collaboration apps, the sharing of user-generated content and cloud storage, aligning with the shifting network demands anticipated across Africa. Furthermore, the report reflects the increasing industry focus on 6G standardization.
Deep dive/partner use case articles in the June 2026 EMR include:
- A closer look at the growth of differentiated connectivity offerings from service providers around the world.
- The rise of uplink demand in AI-driven mobile networks.
- Why mobile connectivity is key to AI-driven enterprise transformation.
- Co-written with Qualcomm: A look at the evolution of AI-enabled XR in networks. AI is expanding into mobile experiences, with smart glasses and other wearables emerging as new complementary user interfaces that extend digital interactions.
- Co-written with SoftBank: Network slicing success at the 2026 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
