This presentation is a requirement for a final project for the online course Unlocking Mobile Rural Connectivity by the GSMA. As part of their requirement, we should share our final projects online in an open platform like this one, so that it can be access by anyone. Thank you.

1. Unlocking Rural Mobile Coverage in The Gambia:
The Role of Government, Regulator, Operators and
Community.
GSMA Final Online Course Project Prepared By: Mr. Serign Modou Bah
Institution: Ministry of Information & Communication Infrastructure, The Gambia

2. CONTENT OF DISCUSSION
1. Introduction
2. Status of Rural Connectivity in The Gambia
3. The Role of Government, Regulator, Operators and Community
4. Challenges
5. Recommendation
6. Conclusion

3. INTRODUCTION
We’re moving super fast: From the Telegraph era (in 1844), to the
Telephone age (in 1876) , to the FAX time (in 1970), in the GSM
World (in 1991), to the Mobile Internet (UMTS, in 2004), in the 4G-
LTE space and now we’re eying the massive data and super speed
station, 5G. (Wow!!! Impressive, but what is the development?)
The quest for speed and capacity: Nowadays, we depend on
Telecommunications to the extent that we hardly live without it.,
because of the way it is transforming our lives politically, socially
and economically.(The demand for better Telecom services is
increasing, which increases the demand for speed and capacity)

4. INTRODUCTION (..)
Global Mobile Broadband Subscription: More than 6.6 Billion Mobile
Broadband Subscription Worldwide in 2018.
Africa Mobile Broadband Subscription: More that 419 Million Mobile
Broadband Subscription in Africa in 2018.
Gambia Mobile Broadband Subscription: More than 800 Thousand
Mobile Broadband Subscription in The Gambia in 2018.

5. STATUS OF RURAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE GAMBIA
Mobile Network Operators in The Gambia: There’re four (4) Operators
namely: Africell, Qcell, Gamcel and Comium
Operators Technology Services: Africell (2,3,4G), Qcell (2,3,4G),
Gamcel (2 and 3G only), and Comium (2G only)
Coverage Level: The countrywide signal coverage from all operators,
on average stood at approx. 90% today. All operators provide mobile
internet services. Rural-Urban coverage gap is approx. 10%

6. STATUS OF RURAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE GAMBIA
Africell, 96%
Qcell, 84%
Gamcel, 86%
Comium, 75%
Total Coverage Average,
85%
THE GAMBIA MOBILE NETWORK SIGNAL COVERAGE 2015 – 2016

7. STATUS OF RURAL CONNECTIVITY IN THE GAMBIA
Urban and Peri-Urban Areas Rural Areas
Africell Qcell Gamcel Comium Africell Qcell Gamcel Comium
99.3% 98.6% 88.3% 87.3% 92.3% 81.8% 78.3% 63.5%
(Operators Coverage by Region 2015-2016)
Note: The coverage metric here using the mixture of all mobile
signals such as 2G and 3G networks. By the time this survey was
done there was no 4G network in the country, but now two of the
operators are on 4G networks with minimum coverage so far.

8. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, REGULATOR, OPERATORS AND
COMMUNITY
(The Role of Gambia Government on Unlocking Rural Mobile Connectivity)
Provide Enabling Environment: The government in facilitating access to all,
has formulated the IC Act 2009, ICT Strategy, Spectrum Policy and drafted
a Universal Service Fund framework yet to be validated.
Grant License Approval: As mandated by the Information and
Communication (IC) Act 2009, the government approves/disapproves both
spectrum and Mobile Network Operation License in The Gambia.
Achievements: The government has establish ICT Centers in the rural
areas to facilitate access in all regions and implemented 4G-LTE network
with the ultimate target of countrywide coverage of all its offices.

9. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, REGULATOR, OPERATORS AND
COMMUNITY
(The Role of the Regulator (PURA) on Unlocking Rural Mobile Connectivity)
Regulatory Activities: The Public Utility & Regulatory Authority (PURA), The
Gambia is mandated to regulate Telecommunication services including both
fixed line and mobile. Currently regulating 4 MNO’s & 1 Fixed Line Operator
Ensuring Legal & Compliance Mechanism: PURA has jointly formulated the
spectrum policy, USF framework, and PURA & Telegraph Act with the
Ministry of Information so as to ensure compliance & quality of service.
Achievements: One of their key achievements is making sure that the
Gambia is one of those with the lowest spectrum fees in the sub-region.
PURA has also greatly reduce red tapes and license application complexity.

10. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, REGULATOR, OPERATORS AND
COMMUNITY
(The Role of the MNO’s on Unlocking Rural Mobile Connectivity)
Network Coverage: All MNO’s has greatly contributed in increasing the
mobile penetration rate in The Gambia today, with approx. 90% coverage
in Urban and Peri-Urban and approx. 79% in Rural Areas.
Technology: All of the 4 operators has deployed 2G services, 3 of them
deployed 3G and 2 of them deployed 4G. The fixed-line provider, which is
government owned is now providing FTTX in Urban and some rural areas.
Achievements: All the 3 of MNO’s provides 3G mobile internet services up
to the rural areas. Some of the MNO’s are doing tower infrastructure
sharing both in rural & urban areas so as to facilitate better access.

11. THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, REGULATOR, OPERATORS AND
COMMUNITY
(The Role of the Community on Unlocking Rural Mobile Connectivity)
Provide Enabling Environment: The rural communities in The Gambia are
always giving their support to MNO’s in the form available land, space and
security whenever they want to deploy a new cell site.
Mobile Adoption: The rural communities are not only adopting to mobile
phones and their services, but also working hard to make sure network
coverage reaches their areas. They're seeing the importance of Mobile !!!
Achievements: Gambia Rural Communities have used collaborative
approaches in deploying community projects that yields the dividend of
more communication linkage between rural-urban, thus increased demand.

12. CHALLENGES
1. No Holistic National Broadband Policy: Currently there’s no broadband policy with
clean roadmap for broadband networks development, deployment that would ensure
standards, QoS and proper implementation.
2. The Absence of Universal Service Framework: A universal service framework was
drafted by the Ministry of Information and its stakeholders, but it was never adopted. This
is hindering the benefits of its usage in enhancing network coverage, particularly in the
rural areas.
3. Coverage Obligation & Compliance Issues: Coverage obligation from MNO’s is hardly
achievable in The Gambia. This is somewhat restricting expansion of coverage to the rural
areas. Compliance to QoS fulfilment and Consumers Rights is also an issue.

13. CHALLENGES
4. Taxation on MNO’s & Consumers: High Taxes such as Corporate Tax, VAT on Mobile
Network Equipment and other High Taxes on MNO’s is sill creating a barrier on Investments
in Mobile Networks while taxes levied on Consumers such as Income Tax, Tax on Mobile
Handsets have impacts on affordability to Total Mobile Ownership.
5. The Absence of Demand Stimulation Strategy: Currently there’s no demand
stimulation strategy in The Gambia that will study the market, regulator, operators and
consumers behaviors to set forth strategies that would stimulate demand, particularly in The
Rural Areas.
6. Late Release of the Digital Dividend Bands: No proper review of these bands to
determine the ones to release to MNO’s. This will ensure the utilization of low frequency
bands to improve rural coverage.

14. RECOMMENDATION
1. The government should formulate a holistic national broadband policy to support
broadband development, adoption and performance. This will unleash the power of
internet connectivity to all while at the same time provide huge economic benefits.
2. The drafted Universal Service Fund Framework by the Ministry of Information, Gambia ,
should be reviewed and adopted the soonest. If this is done, the issues of rural
connectivity coverage will be highly mitigated.
3. The idea of community networks should be highly promoted and encourage: My idea is
we’ve seen communities organizing themselves using crowdfunding mechanisms to build
hospitals in rural areas, we can use the same or similar ideas to build mobile networks.

15. RECOMMENDATION
3. The government should work on and formulate a Mobile/Broadband Demand & Stimulation
Strategy: This will help better in understanding consumers wants, needs and motives
(behaviors) so as to drive demand and increase connectivity coverage.
4. I’m not here to tell whether Taxation on both MNO’s and Consumers in The Gambia is high
or low, but the good thing is making them as low as possible will help in increasing the
connectivity boom in the country while at the same time increase the government tax
revenue in terms of broad-based taxation.
5. If not yet done, government should release if any, the digital dividend bands which have
some low frequency and other useful bands that can extend connectivity coverage to rural.
6. Government should also look into spectrum trading and auctioning options.

16. REFERENCES
1.https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/557179785131271270/
2.https://www.statista.com/statistics/205734/forecast-of-the-global-mobile-
broadband-subscriptions-by-type-in-2015/
3.https://ovum.informa.com/resources/product-content/broadband-connections-in-
africa
4. http://www.pura.gm/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Annual-Report_2015.pdf
5. http://www.pura.gm/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/IC-Info-Comms-Act-2009.pdf
6. http://www.5gamericas.org/en/resources/statistics/statistics-global/
7. https://moici.gov.gm
8. https://www.pura.gm
9. https://www.google.com

17. CONCLUSION
The Rural should never be ignored with it comes to connectivity
coverage, because they’re an integral part of society that plays
pivotal role in social, political and economic development of any
country. Believe me, technology will help them do better.
The End !!!
Thank you.