(Ecofin Agency) - • Canal Box launches in Benin, sparking fierce competition in home fiber Internet.
• Rivals Celtiis and Isocel adjust prices and packages to defend market share.
• Fixed broadband adoption rises sharply, with FTTH gaining nearly 70% of the market.

Canal Box, the Internet provider owned by Group Vivendi Africa (GVA), has officially entered the Beninese market. The company has recently launched its website to showcase its packages and has deployed sales teams across Cotonou to attract new customers. With aggressive pricing, Canal Box is set to shake up the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) market.

Canal Box is currently offering two unlimited monthly plans, including 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) for CFA15,000 and 200 Mbps for CFA30,000. Customers must also pay CFA10,000 for the modem and installation.

Before Canal Box arrived, Celtiis was charging CFA39,900 for its 50 Mbps plan and CFA99,000 for its 150 Mbps plan, with installation costing CFA12,500, not including the modem. In response to the new competition, Celtiis has now cut the price of its 50 Mbps plan to CFA24,900 and introduced two new packages: 20 Mbps for CFA14,900 and 70 Mbps for CFA39,900. Installation fees have also been temporarily reduced to CFA10,000.

Isocel, another major player, has kept its 50 Mbps plan at CFA40,000. However, it upgraded its 30 Mbps plan to 40 Mbps for the same price (CFA25,000) and its 10 Mbps plan to 20 Mbps for CFA15,000. Installation fees at Isocel remain at CFA15,000.

Canal Box’s competitive pricing gives it a strong edge in the residential market. The company, already seen as a serious challenger, could also disrupt the business segment with high-speed, high-quality fiber packages at lower prices. Its ambition to lead the market could soon materialize in major cities, where Internet demand is high and purchasing power is stronger.

Celtiis still holds a solid base as the national operator, maintaining a strong position in providing Internet services to government offices and state-owned companies. Meanwhile, Isocel has started reaching out directly to customers as part of a renewed service strategy. With a long-standing presence in Cotonou, Isocel has the assets needed to withstand rising competition.

Mobile operators MTN and Moov could also feel pressure in the business market. However, they retain a significant advantage thanks to mobile Internet, which accounts for about 99% of Benin’s Internet users — 12.3 million subscribers. Beyond connectivity, they offer value-added services like cloud solutions, increasingly critical for private sector clients.

The FTTH segment is gaining ground in Benin. As of December 31, 2024, the country had 28,033 FTTH subscribers, representing 69.9% of the fixed Internet market’s 40,117 total subscribers. Between 2023 and 2024, FTTH adoption grew by 87.09%.