Telecommunications Sector Reforms in Senegal

Azam, Jean-Paul ; Dia, Magueye ; N'Guessan, Tchetche

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTABILITY;    ACCOUNTING;    ALLOCATION OF LINES;    ASSETS;    BIDDING;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2894
RP-ID  :  WPS2894

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper analyzes Senegal'sexperience with telecommunications liberalization andprivatization. Senegal privatized its incumbent operator in1997, and granted the newly privatized firm seven years offixed-line exclusivity while introducing "managedcompetition" in the cellular market and freecompetition in value-added services (VAS). By May 2001, twocellular operators, a number of VAS providers, and thousandsof retailers operating telecenters had entered the market.Reform has thus significantly changed the landscape ofSenegal's telecommunications sector and has broughtwith it tremendous improvement in sector performance.Between 1997 and 2001, fixed-line telephone penetration grewfrom 1.32 to 2.45 per hundred people, while mobilepenetration skyrocketed from 0.08 to 4.04. But it is stilltoo early to assess the validity of granting fixed-lineexclusivity to the incumbent operator. While penetrationincreased, the operator did not meet objectives regardingrural telephony. Moreover, fixed-line penetration increasedin areas where the operator faced competition from a mobile provider.