In 2024, the country's telecommunications licensees collected about N$1.6 million in revenue, contributing 2.5% to the GDP.
This was revealed by the Executive for Economics and Market Development at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) during a business meeting on digital transformation and entrepreneurship in Windhoek.
Helene Vosloo indicated that a total revenue of N$921,000 was collected from broadcasting licensees, while the total investment in the ICT sector was N$1,174,000.
She said that, over the same period, they recorded about 2.6 million active SIM cards, 1.5 million mobile broadband, 74,000 fixed lines, 44,381 fibre installations, and a total of 120,498 fixed broadband.
"We are very grateful to the ministry for providing us with funding for the universal fund, and we are rolling out the first nine towers to villages that have never had connectivity before. And in March of next year, they will have 4G connectivity. The fund was specifically established to provide subsidies to telecommunication services for unserved and underserved areas, and we awarded a total of 31 million to MTC. It's a competitive bid, and MTC was the winner."
The Chief Executive Officer of CRAN, Emilia Nghikembua, noted that Namibia has made important progress towards expanding digital connectivity by rolling out 4G to 91% of the population coverage, which ensures that more Namibians can access high-speed internet.
Challenges like the affordability of digital devices, quality of services, accessibility and inclusion remain a concern for the sector.
"We are actively working to reduce, for instance, taxes on smartphones and taxes on services. We recently heard that post-service users don't pay tax, but prepaid users are charged, and these are some of the things we are trying to address for affordability."
Nghikembua also called on entrepreneurs to leverage the opportunities digital transformation and AI provide to reach a wider market and increase their incomes.
"I also urge all of you who are entrepreneurs to please harness the power of technology; that profit margin, the social impact, and that economic impact that you are seeking to make can be enhanced if you really strategise and introduce technology as a key enabler to drive your business. I encourage us to embrace innovation."
The meeting was held for entrepreneurs to identify opportunities within the ICT sector and to share their input on how to improve policies and regulatory frameworks within the sector.