Economy Digital
SECTOR PROFILE
Senegal offers a favourable environment for the development of ICT-related activities. The country has resolutely entered the era of the digital economy with the strong will of the State, which has implemented a policy of growth and modernisation of its administration based on ICTs, with major investments made in terms of capacity and modernisation.
Today, Senegal provides businesses with an uninterrupted link to the rest of the world thanks to the most efficient connectivity (100% digitised high-speed network throughout the country offering a range of products: ADSL, Frame Relay, ISDN, VSAT etc.) and a 100% digitised telecommunications network with a loop of nearly 13,000 kilometres of fibre optics and an available international bandwidth of 215.5 Gb/s (2021).
Senegal is increasingly positioning itself as a leader in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of ICT and tele-services. Like many developing countries such as India, Morocco, Mauritius and Tunisia, Senegal has been actively promoting the ICT and tele-services sector for several years.
Senegal has resolutely entered the era of digital economy. The State has implemented a policy of growth and modernisation of its administration based on ICTs and has made significant investments to modernise the telecommunications infrastructure. Today, Senegal provides businesses with an uninterrupted link to the rest of the world thanks to the most advanced connectivity (fibre optic submarine cable, ADSL, international leased lines, etc.).
Senegal has resolutely entered the era of digital economy. The State has implemented a policy of growth and modernisation of its administration based on ICTs and has made significant investments to modernise the telecommunications infrastructure. Today, Senegal provides businesses with an uninterrupted link to the rest of the world thanks to the most advanced connectivity (fibre optic submarine cable, ADSL, international leased lines, etc.).
Facts and figures:
- Annual sector growth: > 20% (driven by mobile telephony and service offers)
- 100% digitised broadband network throughout the country offering a range of products (ADSL, Frame Relay, ISDN, VSAT etc.)
- Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), a 17,000 kilometre long submarine cable serving West Africa and owned by a consortium of 20 operators including Sonatel-Orange: initial capacity of 200Gbit/s on segment 1 and 160Gbit/s on segments 2 & 3, with a maximum capacity of 5.12 terabits/
- Atlantis 2: 20 Gbit/s, linking Portugal, Spain, Senegal, Cape Verde, Brazil and Argentina
- SAT-3/WASC/SAFE: 120 Gbit/s, connecting Europe, Africa and Asia
- GLO-1 (Globacom-1), a 9,800 km long submarine cable along the West African coast, linking Great Britain to Nigeria, with a maximum capacity of 2.5 terabits/s
- International bandwidth at 215.5 Gb/s (20217)
- Satellite communications hub pointing to Intelsat's 355.5° satellite
- Hub offering VSAT services pointing to Intelsat's 328.5° satellite
- 100% digitised telecommunications network with a 12 953 km fibre optic loop across the country
- National IP network and dedicated links from 64 Kbps to 2 Mbps
- Generalization of 2.5 Gb systems on all links since 2007
- Broadband in all departmental capitals (ADSL) since 2008
- 100% GSM and CDMA coverage
- Presence of 3 major telecom operators on the market
COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES
Application platforms provide services via mobile applications, also offering their services to individuals and companies in various fields:
- Financial solutions through electronic money transfer and payment;
- Micro-business solutions for micro-health insurance and integrated management of distribution networks:
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) or outsourcing of a company's business processes (customer relations, remote data entry, data processing, etc.);
- IT engineering (third-party application maintenance, systems integration, specific application development, mobile banking, etc.)
- Contact Centre (Telemarketing, Hotline, Remote technical support etc.);
- The Digital Technology Park (PTN): Built on a 25 hectare closed site in the Diamniadio urban area, the first and very large regional platform for the promotion of innovation and the development of digital services, creating jobs;
- Digital activity centres (Digipôles): throughout the country, with a pilot phase in the universities of Dakar, Thiès, Saint-Louis, Bambey and Ziguinchor.
STRATEGIC POSITIONING OF SENEGAL
Over the past decade, Senegal has become a prized destination for outsourcing customer relations and value-added IT services. It is becoming increasingly well known internationally and is one of the top destinations for these types of services.
The evolution of the digital economy market in Senegal is strongly marked by a convergence of mobile and Internet services due to the growing demand for mobile broadband services and the introduction of new mobile devices and the development of mobile applications and services.
The ICT and teleservices market in Senegal is becoming increasingly competitive in every segment, from voice and non-voice services to third generation mobile communications.
Various mobile applications are being developed to improve service delivery in several sectors (agriculture, health, education, finance, employment, governance and transport). In the agricultural sector, for example, a mobile tool called "mAgri" has been developed in Senegal to help improve the efficiency of agricultural value chains.
In addition, in electronic money services or mobile banking, interactive solutions available on a mobile phone allowing customers to access banking services. Innovative services such as mobile banking and mobile money transfers have been booming in Senegal for several years, bringing banking services within reach of all, as evidenced by the success of mobile banking and mobile payments.
