Editing Telecommunications in Senegal (section)

==Regulation==

[[Sonatel]], Senegal's main [[telephone company|telecommunications operator]], was privatized in 1997 with [[Orange S.A.|France Télécom]] as the strategic partner. Sonatel continues to dominate the market. Liberalization of some services accompanied privatization. Two companies now provide [[mobile phone|cellular telephone]] services, and there is a competitive [[Internet protocol suite|Internet services]] market.<ref name=ccg/>

An independent [[regulatory agency]] for the telecommunications sector, the Agency for Telecommunications and Postal Regulation (ARTP), was created in early 2002. Besides regulating providers of telecommunications services, the agency assigns and controls radio spectrum. The long-awaited telecommunications sector deregulation became effective in July 2004, with the release of a sectoral letter that outlined the IT policy for the coming years.  Telecommunications entrepreneurs who had hoped for a sweeping deregulation received a regime of guided deregulation instead.<ref name=ccg/>

The Government wants Senegal to be a haven for teleprocessing services, with its advantageous geographic position, relatively good telecommunications infrastructure and relatively low wages. A number of joint venture call centers and the telemarketing businesses have sprung up, most of them servicing the French market.<ref name=ccg/>

In 2007, sales generated by the telecommunications sector accounted for more than 7 percent of [[Gross domestic product|GDP]].<ref name=ccg/>