According to a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, Dr Felicien Usengumukiza, Rwanda’s ICT vision is also threatened by strong ICT competition in the EAC region with each member state aiming to be the region’s ICT hub, the East African reported.

Dr Usengumukiza was speaking to participants at a forum on the “African Economic Outlook Report 2008/09” in Kigali.

This is a flagship report produced by the African Development Bank jointly with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa that provides comprehensive analyses of the recent economic situation and prospects for each African country.

The report, launched by Minister of Finance and Economic Planning James Musoni, said while Africa is the fastest growing market in the world, Sudan, Congo and Uganda are the leading three landlocked countries in Africa, with the highest number of mobile subscribers in 2008, recorded at 10, 8 and 7 million subscribers respectively.

According to the International Telecommunication Union 2009 figures, Kenya is still the dominant ICT figure in the EAC with 8.71 Internet users per 100 inhabitants and 42.11 mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

Uganda comes second, followed by Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi respectively.
Dr Usengumukiza said that, according to the ITU, while Uganda has 7.84 Internet users per 100 inhabitants and 26.82 mobile phone users, Tanzania has 1.25 Internet users per 100 inhabitants and 31.37 mobiles users per 100 in habitants.
Kenya still leads in the number of fixed phone users per 100 inhabitants recorded at 0.65, Uganda at 0.53 and Tanzania at 0.3. Burundi has more fixed phone users than Rwanda recorded at 0.34 per 100 inhabitants while Rwanda’s are 0.17.

The report said Rwandatel has recently increased its subscriber base to about 120,000 thereby increasing its market share from four per cent to slightly below 20 per cent by the end of 2008.

“MTN Rwanda’s market share has thus been reduced from 96 per cent to about 80 per cent,” says the report. “In terms of Internet services, the order is reversed, with Rwandatel having 62 per cent of the market share on its ADSL and CDMA networks.”