Yemisi Izuora
It has been estimated that Africa’s market for devices compatible with fifth-generation telecommunications networks will witness record average annual shipment growth of 12.72 per cent between 2026 and 2031.
This is according to a report published by research and consulting firm Mordor Intelligence.
The report, titled Africa 5G Device Market Size & Share Analysis – Growth Trends and Forecast 2026-2031, projects that the number of devices shipped to the continent will rise from about 500 million units in 2026 to roughly 910 million in 2031.
It identifies the proliferation of device financing programs, wider deployment of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and a growing supply of mid-range 5G phones as the main forces expected to support that growth.
Financing programs encourage 5G device adoption because they reduce the upfront payment required from customers.
In Nigeria, MTN has partnered with digital inclusion platform Intelligra and Stanbic IBTC Bank at more than 200 retail locations to broaden financing options for consumers who want to purchase 5G devices.
In South Africa, MTN Mobile Money (MTN MoMo) launched a lease-to-own device program in July 2025 that offers 4G and 5G devices for 10 rand ($0.60) per day without a credit check.
Vodacom has also developed a large device financing operation. Its Easy2Own program had connected 18.8 million smartphones by May 2025, while smartphone penetration across the group’s subscriber base had reached 68.6 per cent.
Vodacom’s device financing program stood at 3.75 billion South African rand ($201 million).
Telecom operators are also increasingly pairing devices with data plans and residential broadband packages. This broadens demand beyond consumers who simply need to replace an existing handset.
At the same time, private enterprise network projects are creating additional demand for routers and modules.
The development of 5G networks centered on Fixed Wireless Access is another source of demand beyond smartphones.
These services require equipment installed at customer premises in addition to mobile devices. By May 2026, 40 of Africa’s 61 commercial 5G networks already offered Fixed Wireless Access services.
The report also points to local assembly and tax optimization as ways to reduce the cost of bringing devices to market. Local assembly can lower import duties, value-added tax, logistics expenses and exposure to currency fluctuations.
Several countries have introduced tax incentives to encourage domestic production of 5G-compatible equipment. Nigeria introduced tax exemptions and simplified customs procedures in June 2026 for the local manufacture of smartphones, routers and MiFi devices. Kenya allows inputs used to assemble devices to enter the country free of customs duties.
Egypt has combined higher tariffs on finished devices with tax concessions for imported components under its “Egypt Makes Electronics” initiative. These measures are also designed to encourage more device production within the country.
The broader availability of mid-range Android phones with 5G capability is another factor that supports device adoption.
Samsung Electronics West Africa launched the Galaxy A57 5G and Galaxy A37 5G in Nigeria in May 2026, bringing Galaxy AI features to the mid-range 5G category.
Infinix introduced the NOTE Edge in Kenya in February 2026 with MediaTek’s Dimensity 7100 5G platform.
The smartphone had a starting price of 32,999 Kenyan shillings ($254). The report nevertheless identifies several obstacles that could prevent Africa’s 5G device market from developing more quickly. The first is the high cost of devices relative to consumers’ disposable income.
The price of an entry-level 5G smartphone in Africa remained above $100 in 2026. For many potential users, that represented more than one month of income. This price level limits how far financing programs can extend access, since installment payments do not make devices affordable to every consumer,reports EcofinAgency.
Pressure is also evident at the cheapest end of the smartphone market. Sales of smartphones priced below $100 fell 34% year over year in the second quarter of 2026. Higher memory prices forced manufacturers either to raise their prices or reduce device specifications.
The other major constraint is the uneven allocation of spectrum across Africa’s 54 countries. The differences between national spectrum policies slow the development of a coherent 5G device ecosystem across the continent.
Manufacturers need a sufficiently large base of harmonized frequency bands before they can justify designing Africa-specific devices and producing them at high volumes. By mid-2026, 35 African countries had allocated spectrum for 5G, primarily in the 3.5 GHz band. Frameworks for millimeter-wave frequencies remained limited, however, outside South Africa and North Africa.
The geographic breakdown of Africa’s 5G device market also reveals significant differences between national markets. South Africa has reached a level of maturity unmatched elsewhere on the continent.
Smartphone shipments in South Africa increased 17% year over year in the second quarter of 2026. That performance stood in sharp contrast with the African market overall, where shipments fell 7% over the same period.
South Africa has also continued to develop the spectrum framework needed to support next-generation networks. In July 2026, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) designated the upper 6 GHz band for high-speed cellular mobile networks. Its spectrum plan covered nine frequency bands ranging from 1,710 MHz to 71 GHz.
Network deployment has progressed alongside those regulatory measures. Rain South Africa and Huawei have extended 5G coverage on a large scale by combining high-efficiency smart antenna technology, known as Massive MIMO, with low radio frequencies below 1 GHz.
Nigeria, meanwhile, is expected to post the fastest 5G growth rate on the continent. Its market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 13.90 per cent between 2026 and 2031. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) reported 5G penetration of 14 per cent and network coverage across 27 states after more than 730 additional sites were deployed in 2026.
Despite the prominence of markets such as South Africa and Nigeria, the rest of the continent collectively accounts for the majority of Africa’s 5G device market. Countries outside the individually identified markets represented 54.40 per cent of total African 5G device market volume in 2025.