Essa M Faal on Coffee time with Peter Gomez
Claim: Essa Mbye Faal, during an episode of Coffee Time, claimed that Gambia has one of the most expensive internet in the world but also one of the most inefficient anywhere.
Verdict: True.
Full Text
In the 21st century, internet connection is one of the most vital elements of human life, creating a global village. It allows people to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues from the comfort of their homes and facilitates business transactions, making life easier for many who rely heavily on the internet.
The Gambia is a small country with a population of over 2 million. Despite its small population compared to other countries, access to strong internet connections remains a significant problem. Most Gambians are dissatisfied with GSM operators due to inefficient internet service, despite being charged high tariffs.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has been criticised for not implementing stringent measures to ensure affordable and quality internet for Gambians.
According to Standard.gm “The ranking said The Gambia has an average price of 1GB [gigabytes] at $3.56 which is equivalent to little over D225. On the global data ranking the country sits 202 of countries with the cheapest data rate.”. However, its standing varies depending on the metrics used, such as global rankings of internet affordability and connection speed.
“High Cost of Mobile Data In 2023, the average price of 1GB of mobile data in The Gambia was $3.56, ranking it 9th in Africa for expensive data prices.” Standard.gm. “Globally, The Gambia ranked 202 out of 230 countries in terms of data affordability, placing it among the least affordable.” – Cable.co.uk
While some neighbouring countries like Senegal and Guinea-Bissau offer lower costs for mobile data, The Gambia’s high prices are attributed to limited competition among Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
low Internet Speed and Efficiency as of 2024 data indicate that the median fixed internet speed in The Gambia was 6.06 Mbps, which is far below the global median of 79 Mbps. The Gambia – DataReportal -Global Digital Insights and Over the 12 months leading up to 2024, The Gambia experienced a 5.9% decrease in internet speed, signalling inefficiency in service delivery.
Speedtest.net The Gambia has Limited fiber-optic infrastructure and reliance on older technologies contribute to inconsistent internet performance, particularly in rural areas. Freedomhouse.org and Contributing Factors such as limited competition make a lack of sufficient ISPs limits consumer options, leading to high costs and stagnant innovation, while the Internet service providers cite the high cost of importing and maintaining infrastructure as a reason for expensive.
Verification
Our researchers verified this claim made by Mr. Essa Mbye Faal by consulting different available data on search engines and creditable online platforms such as Google, Cable.co.uk, Datareportal, Speedtest and Freedomhouse regarding the Gambia’s rank on internet efficiency and affordability. This has helped in getting reliable information from credible sources . The links to these sources are provided above.
Conclusion
The claim made by Essa Faal on coffee time “Gambia has one of the most expensive internet in the world but also one of the most inefficient anywhere.” is found to be true. The country ranks poorly in terms of internet affordability and speed, with high costs and low performance attributed to limited competition, infrastructure challenges, and regulatory gaps. Addressing these issues will require investments in infrastructure, promotion of competition, and stronger regulatory oversight to improve internet access and efficiency for Gambians.
By Ebrima Mbaye
Research Intern