en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mauritanian authorities have recently preliminarily selected three companies to provide satellite telecommunications services, aiming to expand network coverage and improve service quality. This initiative seeks to leverage satellite technology to bridge the country's digital divide.
According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), approximately 55% of Mauritania's population did not use the internet in 2024. The country's 3G and 4G network coverage rates are 78% and 73% respectively, with an internet penetration rate of 45.8% and a mobile phone penetration rate of 83.2%. The tender, launched in January 2026, attracted 13 companies to purchase bidding documents, ultimately receiving nine bids. Some companies bid for both lots simultaneously.
The first lot involves providing mobile personal communication services via geostationary orbit satellite systems, with BRAINSAT and VDM selected, quoting $800,000 and $50,000 respectively. VDM must adjust its bid to match BRAINSAT's to obtain a license. The second lot focuses on satellite capacity sales, with BRAINSAT selected at a bid of $3 million. Mauritanian telecom operator Mattel was also selected for this lot, with its current bid of 6.5 million ouguiyas (approximately $163,000), which also requires adjustment. If VDM and Mattel fail to adjust their bids, the regulatory authority will sequentially award licenses to subsequent bidders, with the next candidate for the first lot being Guimi Multi Services, and the order for the second lot being Mauritel, Wigo, and then VDM.
Satellite technology is widely regarded as a solution to bridge Africa's digital divide due to its ability to cover rural or remote areas where deploying terrestrial networks is difficult and costly. In Mauritania, consumers frequently complain about coverage issues, service interruptions, insufficient internet speeds, and declining communication quality, especially outside major cities.
Despite its promising prospects, the project faces multiple challenges. First, some selected companies must adjust their bids to match the best bidder to ultimately obtain licenses, and the significant gap in financial quotes introduces uncertainty to the deployment timeline. Second, the regulatory framework needs to clarify operating conditions, license holder obligations, and oversight mechanisms. The expansion of operators such as Starlink in Africa has already raised issues related to personal data protection, competition, local shareholding, consumer protection, network integrity, and operational responsibility. Finally, service cost is a core obstacle. According to ITU data, in 2025, a 5GB mobile internet package in Mauritania accounted for 2.94% of per capita Gross National Income (GNI), while fixed internet reached 17.6%, compared to the international affordability reference threshold of 2%.
