A new report on mobile Internet use in Africa shows South Africa’s mobile penetration rate is much higher than in Kenya and Nigeria, but Kenyans and Nigerians rely on their phones much more than South Africans for financial services.
A new report on mobile Internet use in Africa shows South Africa has mobile penetration of 133%, measured by active Sim cards. That’s much higher than that of Kenya and Nigeria, which are at 70% and 72% respectively.

The study was conducted by On Device Research, a mobile research company, with a representative sample of mobile Internet users in each country. The study was also done in the UK to compare the effects of the mobile Internet in developing and developed markets.

“For many Africans, mobile is the only way to connect with the world and the Internet is having a huge impact on people’s lives. It’s helping them save time and money and it gives them access to education and medical information,” says Alistair Hill, CEO of On Device Research. Read more