Data revealed this week by the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority data also revealed that mobile teledensity in 2012 was nearly 153 percent. When infants are excluded from the population, the data suggests an average ratio of two cellphone subscriptions per person.By March last year, mobile teledensity was measured at 144 percent, being amongst the highest in Africa and the developing world.
According to the data, the number of cellphone subscriptions opened 2012 at 2.92 million, breaching the three million mark in October, before ending the year at 3.08 million. BOCRA's data, however, also shows that annual growth in mobile subscriptions slowed down last year, when compared to the rate in the years after 2008. Cellphone subscriptions grew at compound annual growth rate of 12.4 percent between 2008 and 2011, a rate that slows to 11 when data from 2012 is included.While the data does not provide reasons for the slowdown in 2012, Botswana Stock Exchange-listed retail counters have all alluded to difficult consumer spending dynamics last year due to the slow recovering economy as well as the absence of a significant public service wage increase.Previous estimates indicate that Mascom generally accounts for just over half of all mobile subscribers, with Orange's market share ranging between 33 and 35 percent and beMobile taking the balance.
