Telecommunications services in Madagascar benefit from intense competition among major operators, including Orange Madagascar, Airtel and the incumbent telco Telma.
The country has made positive progress in connecting to international submarine cables, notably the METISS cable connecting South Africa and Mauritius. In addition, the country's expected connection to the Africa-1 cable by the end of 2023 will provide it with connectivity to Kenya, Djibouti, North African and South African countries, as well as Pakistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and France. A national fiber backbone connecting major cities has been implemented and Telma has been gradually expanding the network to smaller towns. In addition, it has advanced its five-year plan for the development of its digital platform to 2024.
Penetration rates in all market sectors are still below the average for the African region, so there is still considerable potential for growth. However, much progress has been made in 2020, spurred by the exceptional conditions associated with the pandemic, which have encouraged greater use of voice and data services.
