DRC: Kinshasa aims to launch 5G before the end of 2026, while 79 million Congolese remain offline

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reviewed the launch of 5G during the 100th meeting of its Council of Ministers, held on October 9, 2026, in Kinshasa, reports the specialized media outlet We Are Tech Africa. At the end of September 2026, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, José Mpanda Kabangu, had indicated that the executive branch was working to make the technology available before the end of the year.

Only three out of ten Congolese are connected

This ambition faces a narrow foundation. The DRC had approximately 34.7 million internet users at the end of 2025, or 30.5% of its population, according to DataReportal: nearly 79 million people therefore remain offline. Above all, only 45% of the population is covered by a mobile internet network, according to a GSMA report published in September 2025, which identifies the price of smartphones and data plans as the main obstacles.

50,000 km of fiber promised

To expand this foundation, the 2024-2028 National Strategic Development Plan provides for the deployment of 50,000 km of fiber optic cables and the construction of national loops. This project is a prerequisite for the quality of any advanced mobile service: without high-speed data transport to antennas, a 5G license remains merely a showcase.

$4.2 billion in GDP at stake

The GSMA quantifies the stakes: fiscal and regulatory reforms accompanied by investments could connect 9.7 million more Congolese to mobile internet by 2029 and add 9.8 trillion Congolese francs, or approximately $4.2 billion, to the country's gross domestic product.

A file open since March 2025

Congolese 5G did not emerge this week. The Regulatory Authority for Posts and Telecommunications of the Congo (ARPTC) launched a public consultation from March 3 to April 3, 2025, to define, in its own words, "an effective roadmap for its deployment," reports CIO Mag. Six themes were submitted to experts, civil society, and citizens: usage, economic aspects, the maturity of the Congolese digital market, frequency spectrum, infrastructure sharing, and license-related obligations.

Eighteen months later, no commercial launch date or license recipient has been made public. The debate raised by these figures is one of priorities: should there first be 5G in a few neighborhoods of Kinshasa, or affordable 4G in Kananga, Kisangani, and the rural areas of Kasai? The DRC, a country-continent of 2.3 million km², needs both—but the order in which it obtains them will decide who, in 2029, will still be offline.