In Senegal, mobile operators Tigo and Expresso just expressed their interest in acquiring 4G licence which was recently obtained by the Société nationale des télécommunications (Sonatel). Senegal’s president Macky Sall announced that talks were ongoing in this regard between the telecom firms and the National Authority for Posts and Telecommunications (ARPT).

On 23 June 2016, during the inauguration ceremony of the ATOS services digital center for West Africa, President Sall called Tigo and Expresso to finalize negotiations with the telecom regulator regarding 4G’s acquisition. By providing the licence to all telecom operators, the government wishes to establish a fair competition environment so that all residents can benefit from the technology. It also wants to facilitate the creation of a strong digital market conducive to the development of digital economy.

If talks between Tigo, Expresso and ARPT are conclusive, the operators may get the 4G licence for FCFA32 billion, same amount paid by Sonatel to obtain it. However, this is a necessary sacrifice given that without 4G, the two firms are not much of a competitor for Sonatel, in a Senegalese fully transforming telecom market.