Gambia

Overview

The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa that is entirely surrounded by Senegal except for its coastline on the Atlantic Ocean at its western end. It is the smallest country in mainland Africa.

Mobile penetration is high, reflecting the competitiveness and straightforwardness of extending coverage in one of sub-Saharan Africa’s smallest countries with a relatively high population density. According to latest ITU data (June 2017) 3G mobile coverage reaches an estimated 86% of the population, with 4G LTE beginning in 2018.

The arrival of the ACE submarine cable in 2011 has dramatically boosted the country’s international Internet capacity. The Gambia Submarine Cable Company (GSC) manages the link. GSC is a consortium, with membership comprising all licensed telecommunication operators as well as some ISPs. The Serekunda IXP launched in 2014.

Gambia is a member of the ITU and as such follows radio frequency harmonisation principles according to ITU-R Region-1. The regulatory body governing communications policy is the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is charged with regulating the country's radio frequency spectrum activities such as planning, allocations, and licencing.