104
Africa’s ICT Infrastructure
whether an operator is in a “dominant” position in the market before applying appropriate regulatory measures. The Senegalese NRA conducted a market-dominance analysis of the entire telecommunications sector in 2006, which determined that the incumbent provider was dominant with an 89 percent share of overall sector revenues (ARTP 2006). In Niger and Rwanda, leading operators have also been found to be dominant; the leading operator in Niger was required by the NRA to publish an interconnection catalog (Autorité de Régulation Multisectorielle 2005). These developments are in line with a global trend whereby NRAs regulate the MTRs, even in otherwise competitive markets.24 Figure 3.9 provides a summary of interconnection policies throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Countrylevel information on these policies is provided in appendix table A2.9. The move toward cost-based interconnection rates will benefit consumers in several ways: by lowering the price of calls, by reducing the gap between mobile and fixed interconnection rates (which will boost fixed-line use, making it a more effective competitor to mobile networks, and enhance the prospects for fixed broadband), and by minimizing Figure 3.9 Interconnection Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2008 25
number of countries
20 15 10 5
re qu t o on p ire ne ub an ct lis y o io h p n re er of fe at fe re or r( n s RI ce O) ?
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0
yes Source: ITU 2009. Note: n/a = not available.
no
n/a