SENEGAL’S telecom landscape expands as Saga Africa Holdings clinches the country’s second 5G licence by acquiring 90MHz of 3,500MHz spectrum for CFA13.5bn ($22.5 million), following Sonatel’s prior acquisition of a similar licence.
Saga Africa Holdings, operating under the Free brand in Senegal, triumphed in the bidding process, securing the 5G licence after Sonatel’s successful bid worth CFA34.5bn for its licence.
During the bidding process, Free and rival Expresso submitted bids of CFA3bn and CFA2bn, respectively, falling short of the ARTP’s reserve price of CFA19.5bn. This prompted negotiations by l’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes (ARTP) to enable other operators to qualify for 5G licences based on their capacity and resources.
Abdou Karim Sall, the Director General of ARTP, disclosed in a press conference on December 18 that the regulator engaged in discussions to assess operators’ capabilities, determining costs associated with the quantity and quality of frequencies allocated.
Furthermore, Sonatel’s investment of CFA34.5bn secured 10MHz in the higher-priced 700MHz band and five additional frequency blocks, positioning the company to introduce a pilot 5G service by February, with a commercial launch slated for May, as confirmed by ARTP sources.
This strategic expansion of 5G licences in Senegal signals a competitive telecom market, with operators vying for spectrum and ARTP employing negotiations to ensure wider participation while maintaining standards for the next generation of mobile services.