Only 14.3% in Madagascar used mobile internet in 2025, GSMA report says

The GSMA said on 16 October 2026 that unique mobile internet penetration in Madagascar was 14.3% in 2025, even though networks reach most of the population. In 2026, 66% of the population lived within mobile broadband coverage but did not use mobile internet, the association said.

The figures come from Madagascar Digital Economy: Policy reforms that will drive Madagascar’s digital future, launched at the GSMA Digital Africa Summit in Antananarivo. Madagascar’s mobile connections rose from 12.3 million in 2021 to 22.5 million at the end of 2025. About one-third of the rural population is outside 4G coverage.

The Antananarivo daily L’Express de Madagascar, reporting on the presentation, wrote that 3G and 4G networks covered 81% of the population in 2026. The news site NewsMada reported on 17 October that 81% of the population lives in an area covered by 3G or better.

The GSMA estimates that targeted reforms could connect about 1.1 million more people in Madagascar and add MGA 4.1 trillion (4,100 billion ariary) to GDP by 2031. Its four priorities are to make smartphones more affordable, reduce rural network expansion costs, support adoption and investment through tax reform, and help more people benefit from digital services.

On smartphones, the GSMA proposes removing the 6% copyright fee, the 20% import duty and the 1% regulation levy on qualifying entry-level handsets, and introducing a targeted VAT exemption. It also proposes that Madagascar consider removing the 8% sector-specific excise duty and cut the telecommunications and ICT regulation tax from 2% to 1%.

“Madagascar’s expanding mobile networks provide a strong foundation for digital transformation,” said Angela Wamola, the GSMA’s Head of Africa.

Benoît Janin, director general of Yas Madagascar, said taxes make up 47% of the final price of a smartphone, as quoted by L’Express. The newspaper listed 20% customs duties, 20% VAT, a 6% levy and a 1% regulation charge, and wrote that the 2026 supplementary finance law keeps the taxes on these devices.

Anne Catherine Tchokonté, director general of Airtel, said the cost of the equipment needed to get online is prohibitive and that, to bring the internet to more people, smartphone taxes need to be reviewed, not necessarily on the most expensive phones but on those within everyone’s reach, as quoted by L’Express.

Yas said its 4G coverage reaches 89% of the population, according to its August 2026 measurements, NewsMada reported. Yas asked for a review of the 8% excise duty and said simulations show the reforms could lift GDP by 3.3% in 2031. It also offers an instalment payment scheme for smartphones called Mitsinjo.

NewsMada reported that Yas, Orange and Airtel Madagascar took part in a GSMA roundtable at which the operators confirmed a cut of more than 50% in the price of mobile internet over one year. NewsMada also listed initiatives by the authorities: free connections for several universities, about 2,500 computers handed to public officials, and 300 Starlink kits planned for communes.

“The challenge is now to turn this coverage into concrete uses, accessible and useful to all Malagasy,” Janin said, as quoted by NewsMada.