On 15 June 2026, the Autorité de régulation des télécommunications/TIC de Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI) released, via its statistical report for the first quarter of 2026, unprecedented figures for the fixed Internet market: between March 2025 and March 2026, the subscriber base grew by almost half.

According to data consolidated by ARTCI, the total number of fixed Internet connections, across all segments, increased from 557,186 lines in March 2025 to 816,207 in March 2026, representing a rise of  46.5%  year-on-year. Optical fiber is the main driver of fixed Internet and now accounts for more than 60% of fixed subscriptions in Côte d’Ivoire, with an estimated share of around 65% to 68% in recent periods.

A fixed-line boom reshaping the broadband landscape

The ARTCI highlights that the rapid expansion of fixed Internet is accompanied by a strong increase in usage, with Internet traffic reaching several hundred million gigabytes over the period, up more than 40% compared with the previous year.  This momentum signals the gradual repositioning of fixed broadband as critical infrastructure for urban households and SMEs in a country where connectivity has historically relied almost entirely on mobile networks.

“The fixed Internet market in Côte d’Ivoire is going through a genuine technological and commercial golden age.” — ARTCI, via Q1 2026 statistical report, Sikafinance

Time series published by ARTCI show that at end-2023, the fixed Internet base was still modest compared with mobile, with subscribers concentrated in major cities and limited penetration in secondary areas. Over the same period, the Ivorian telecom market has been structured around three integrated mobile operators (Orange, MTN, Moov) and several infrastructure and fixed access providers, creating favorable conditions for convergent fixed-mobile offers and the extension of fiber networks.

Orange leads, MTN breaks through and fiber specialists gain ground

Among so-called global operators, Orange Côte d’Ivoire strengthens its position as fixed Internet leader with a subscriber base exceeding 549,000 over the period, relying both on fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and on existing copper technologies. MTN Côte d’Ivoire records what ARTCI describes as spectacular growth, with a fixed subscriber base evolution rate of  310.6% , more than quadrupling in one year.

Moov Africa Côte d’Ivoire completes this group of global players with 66,723 fixed Internet subscribers, maintaining a foothold in a segment where investment remains heavy but strategic for customer retention. On the specialist fiber front, Group Vivendi Africa, via its CanalBox brand, stands out with a base of 81,596 customers, positioned as an aggressive challenger in urban areas.

The ARTCI report also highlights the momentum of several niche players such as VIPNET, Dataconnect, CI DATA and new entrant Nortis, which mainly target corporate clients through radio local loops, dedicated fiber links and secure leased lines. In contrast, satellite provider Konnect Africa sees its subscriber base shrink by  83.3%  over the year, as the rapid extension of fiber networks into peri-urban areas erodes zones that previously relied on satellite.

A pillar of the digital strategy on the eve of 5G

The Ministry of Digital Transition announced that Côte d’Ivoire is planning to launch commercial 5G services starting in July 2026, in a context where the country already has nearly  60 million  active mobile subscriptions.  The scaling-up of fixed broadband thus comes just as the ecosystem prepares for a qualitative leap on mobile, with growing needs for backhaul and Wi-Fi offload.

ARTCI indicators also confirm that fixed Internet still lags far behind mobile in terms of penetration, leaving significant room for growth in secondary cities and industrial zones. Integrated operators such as Orange Côte d’Ivoire, which posted double-digit annual growth in 2025 driven in particular by data and fixed services, have financial headroom to continue investing in fiber.

In the short term, the next batch of ARTCI indicators for the second quarter of 2026 will be the key milestone to gauge how sustainable this trajectory is, especially operators’ ability to maintain the current pace of fiber roll-out while preserving service quality and competitive balance.