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10 Most Valuable Telecommunications Brands In Africa

10 Most Valuable Telecommunications Brands In Africa

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Africa is a continent that has embraced telecoms technology and mobile on a wide scale, with numerous telecommunications brands in Africa providing millions of African subscribers with a variety of mobile-based services.

According to new research published in February from brand valuation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance, a number of African mobile operators and telecoms companies form part of the most valuable telecoms brands on the planet.

These telecoms giants enable improved lifestyles for Africans, with communication, finance, internet connectivity and other elements provided via their telecommunication technology and infrastructure.

We take a look at the 10 most valuable telecommunications brands in Africa.

Sources: BusinessTech, Fin24, Techcentral,

10) Blue Label Telecoms

South Africa’s Blue Label Telecoms is the 207th most valuable telecommunications brand in the world, and Africa’s 10th most valuable, placing ahead of Zimbabwe’s Econet in the list, which is 223rd globally, according to Brand Finance.

9) Telecom Egypt

Egyptian state-owned company Telecom Egypt is ninth on this list, thanks to a ranking of 201 globally and a strong backing from the government in Egypt. The company works closely with fellow telecoms players such as Orange and Vodafone to provide their users with the widest range of services.

8) Inwi

Moroccan telecommunications company Inwi is another of the North African companies on this list, at 169th in the world. In competition with Maroc Telecom and Meditelecom in the country. It is a subsidiary of the group SNI and the Kuwaiti group Zain.

7) Cell C

Africa’s seventh most valuable telecommunications brand is South Africa’s Cell C, which competes with the likes of MTN and Vodacom in the country. Placed 158th in the world by Brand Finance, Cell C serves over 20 million mobile subscribers.

6) Telkom

Telkom is the South African partially state-owned telecoms company that serves business and residential companies across the country with a variety of telecoms services. The company is considered the 140th most valuable brand in its sector globally, translating to it being the sixth most valuable in Africa.

5) Sonatel

Senegalese telecommunications giant Sonatel is the main operator within the West African nation. The company is active in fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, internet service, television and corporate telecommunications, allowing it the distinction of being Africa’s fifth most valuable telecoms brand and the 136th on the planet.

4) Glo Mobile

Glo Mobile is a Nigerian telecommunications company that was established in 2003. Considered the 130th most valuable telecommunications brand in the world, according to the Brand Finance research, Glo is Africa’s fourth most valuable telecoms brand. Glo operates across West Africa in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and Ghana.

3) Maroc Telecom

Maroc Telecom is the main telecommunications operator in Morocco and the third most valuable telecommunications brand in Africa. It is listed on both the Casablanca Stock Exchange and Euronext Paris. Maroc Telecom also has a number of subsidiaries in Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Mali, spreading their reach further afield than the North African country.

Image: AJ LEON / Flickr

2) Safaricom

Founded in 1997, Safaricom is now the largest mobile service provider in Kenya. In 2012 Safaricom became the first East African nation to provide its users with 3G technology, and the company has been a pioneer of technologies and cross over services in the region, leading to its position as the 99th most valuable brand in telecommunications and Africa’s number two.

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AP Photo/Sunday Alamba

1) MTN

South Africa’s MTN has emerged as Africa’s most valuable telecommunications brand in 2018, according to Brand Finance. The MTN brand is worth $3.3bn, up 9 percent from 2017. It has moved up two places globally in the past year, from 47th to 45th. The telecoms giant operates across Africa in markets that include South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Rwanda, Uganda and Swaziland.