Zimbabwe Records Significant Mobile Phone Usage In 2023
Mobile phone usage in Zimbabwe has significantly increased, with active subscriptions rising by 6% in the third quarter to reach a record 14.79 million, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ). This translates to a mobile penetration rate of 97.5%, up from 91.9% in the previous quarter.
– NetOne, the State-owned operator, has been the primary driver of growth in mobile phone subscriptions.
– Econet, the market leader, experienced a modest 2.2% increase in subscribers.
– Telecel saw a decline of 1.4%.
– Mobile voice traffic jumped by 30% to surpass 3.29 billion minutes, thanks to affordable on-net calls and operator promotions.
– Mobile internet and data subscriptions rose by 7.5% to reach 10.65 million, with a penetration rate of 70.1%.
– Mobile internet and data traffic increased by 6.2% to reach 44.67 petabytes.
– Mobile operator revenues rose by 95.3% to ZWL$850.8 billion, while operating costs nearly doubled, rising by 99.3%.
– Internet access provider revenues significantly increased 138.1% to ZWL$449.3 billion.
– Postal and courier volumes grew by 6.8%, with revenues increasing by 53.3%.
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POTRAZ director general, Gift Machengete, highlighted the significant growth in operating costs, which increased by almost 100% during the period, NewsDay reported. He also mentioned the increase in mobile voice traffic and the growth in internet and data subscriptions and traffic.
Zimbabwe introduced mobile phones in the early 1990s. However, the boom in usage of mobile phones in Zimbabwe was experienced in 2009 during the Government of National Unity (GNU) era. This period marked a significant increase in mobile phone adoption and usage throughout the country.
