The number of mobile subscribers has increased dramatically over the last few years. In 2007, the African continent added over 60 million new mobile subscribers and mobile represents some 90 percent of all telephone subscribers, and mobile penetration in the region is close to 30 percent .

Although it is tempting to get excited about ICT growth in Africa, the stakes have risen. While two decades ago, achieving a teledensity of "one" seemed like a major milestone, the new yardstick is much higher. The rest of the world has also not sat still. So while Africa has made impressive strides, it is still far behind other regions. The continent is at a crossroads. While there has been much success, complacency risks dooming the continent to last place in the ICT race. The alternative is to find the right mix of policy, economic and technical ingredients and committed entrepreneurs that will not only sustain Africa's ICT growth, but supercharge it to the level of other regions.