101. Investments in telecommunications offer opportunities to mitigate the deficiencies of
physical connectivity. Madagascar has improved access to international connectivity with the
arrival of several submarine cables since 2009, and considerable investments have been made in
access infrastructure to increase network coverage.43 Madagascar’s mobile broadband penetration
of 0.4 per 100 inhabitants at end 2013, however, is among the lowest in the world (ITU, 2014).
Basic services like telephony44 are not as widely available in Madagascar as in other countries with
more accessible and affordable voice services.
43