The continent of Africa offers some strong growth opportunities for satellite and mobile telecom operators, according to a study by CIT-PriMetrica.

CIT-PriMetrica’s “Yearbook of African Telecommunications for 2003,” to be released in March, identifies growth areas for satellite services with nearly all of Africa’s upstream international bandwidth provided through satellite links. In the majority of countries on the continent, more than 95 percent of international traffic is carried by satellite.

CIT-PriMetrica’s (Exeter, England) study also identifies a key trend in the emergence of a new category of service provider: satellite-based regional IP operators with the ability to offer voice, data and broadcast. The most significant here is Pan African Communications Network, which provides a combination of regional satellite-based connectivity, together with the provision of services on the ground.