Mobile coverage
As of 2019, the mobile telephony service in Niger has 4 GSM mobile operators: Celtel Niger, Sahelcom, Atlantique Télécoms and Orange Niger. Orange Niger is also deploying a 3G network. In 2017, the four telecom operators operating in the country were fined a total of FCFA3.5bn (about EUR5.3m) for failing to improve the quality of their service and their coverage of the national territory. The patron of ARTP at the time, Mrs Béty Aichatou, had listed the grievances held since 2016 against the four companies, including a national and three foreigners, and the amounts of the fines that were inflicted on them.
Celtel-Niger (Now Airtel Niger), a subsidiary of the Indian Bharti, was sentenced to the heaviest fine - FCFA1.5bn (1.5 percent of its turnover) for not having reduced the cuts in communications below 2 percent and for lack of voice quality improvements in almost all the major cities of the country including Niamey, Agadez, Zinder, and Maradi, the economic capital.
The French Orange Niger was ordered to pay FCFA925.4m (1.6 percent of its turnover) for not increasing the coverage of its network inside buildings to reach 70 percent in the city of Birni N'Konni.
The Nigerian company Sahel-Com has been condemned to pay FCFA620.5m (2.8 percent of the turnover) for not having raised the coverage of its network in several cities including Niamey, Maradi, Tahoua and Zinder to 70 percent.
Moov Niger (subsidiary of Atlantique Telecom) was also sentenced to pay a fine of FCFA423.4m (1.6 percent of turnover), for not having raised the coverage of its network inside the buildings in Niamey and Birni N'Konni to 70 percent.
According to a review made by ARCEP in June 2018, Airtel had 4,445,977 subscribers; Orange Niger 2,226,778; Atlantique telecom (Moov Niger) 2,272,798 and Niger Telecom 307,962. The total of subscribers in June 2018 was 9,253,206 in the whole country, while in May 2018, it was 9,244,166, with an increase of 9,040 subscribers. In terms of penetration rate in june 2018, Airtel Niger had 48.05 percent, Orange Niger had 24.06 percent; Moov Niger had 24.56 percent and Niger Telecom had 3.33 percent. The national mobile penetration was 43.71 percent as of June 2018.
The survey Digital 2019 mentioned in chapter Social Networks shows that 97 percent of mobile connections are pre-paid and 3 percent are post-paid. Only 16 percent of mobile connections are broadband (3G and 4G).