• Telecel Faso deploys 300 new sites to expand coverage in 750 underserved areas

• Rollout aims to regain market share amid strong competition from Orange and Moov Africa

• Burkina Faso’s deep digital divide persists despite high SIM-based penetration rates

Telecel Faso has begun rolling out 300 new telecom sites across Burkina Faso as part of a government initiative to extend network coverage to 750 underserved areas.

While the project helps reduce the country’s digital divide, it also gives Telecel an opportunity to strengthen its position in a market dominated by Orange and Moov Africa.

“We are in the middle of deployment and I came to brief the minister, who has actively supported us. We informed her that, in addition to the 150 sites initially planned, we are working to add another 150. This will help accelerate the rollout and expand coverage across municipal centers in both urban and rural areas,” Telecel Faso CEO Boris Compaoré said on Monday after meeting with Aminata Zerbo Sabane, Minister of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications.

Expanding its network allows Telecel to widen its reach, both in areas where competitors already operate and in communities where it would become the first provider.

According to data shared by the minister in 2024, mobile voice coverage (2G) reaches 85 percent of the population, compared with 64 percent for 3G and 46 percent for 4G. Authorities have identified 1,700 coverage gaps nationwide. Of these, 183 were addressed in 2022 and 138 in 2024, and another 750 are planned for 2025.

The program comes at a time when Telecel has been losing market share for several years. In mobile telephony, its share fell from 17.46 percent in the second quarter of 2017 to 9.81 percent in the second quarter of 2025. Over the same period, Moov Africa (Onatel) increased its share from 41.81 percent to 42.8 percent, while Orange increased its share from 40.73 percent to 48.11 percent. In mobile internet, Orange remains far ahead with 67.7 percent of the market at the end of June 2025, compared with 22.85 percent for Moov Africa and 9.99 percent for Telecel.

Despite high overall penetration rates of 120 percent for mobile telephony and 85 percent for mobile internet at the end of June, Burkina Faso continues to face a deep digital divide. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimated the country’s internet penetration rate at 17 percent in 2023, while mobile telephony penetration was 55.9 percent. The gap between these figures is partly explained by the widespread use of multiple SIM cards, since each SIM is counted as a separate subscription by regulators.

Telecel’s effort to regain ground will still face obstacles. In addition to strong competition from Moov Africa and Orange, adoption and usage depend on several factors. These include device ownership, the affordability of service plans, digital literacy, the perceived usefulness of services, service quality and user experience.

Isaac K. Kassouwi