Insight – Tanzania Cell Phone Carriers and Subscription Market 2020

Snapshot of Mobile in Tanzania

By the conclusion of 2020, Tanzania had 51 million mobile network subscribers. Mobile market earnings were predicted to be $1.1 billion [2,703 billion TZS] in 2019, accounting for 1.9 per cent of Tanzania’s Gross domestic product. However, because most users have multiple Sim cards, the proportion of unique cell phone coverage in Tanzania in terms of carriers was twenty-five million, with a distinct-subscriber coverage of 41 per cent. A sizable chunk of the inhabitants, i.e., 59 per cent, remained utterly unconnected to the entire mobile network.

Tanzania Cellular Internet

Although the number of Tanzania cell phone carriers is quite high, it has a low distinct cell phone coverage Tanzania subscriber of mobile internet (18 per cent), trailing Kenya (27 per cent), Uganda (23 per cent), as well as Sub-Saharan northern Africa (26 per cent].

Affordability, illiteracy, lack of understanding, and a lack of technical skills are all barriers to accessing mobile internet. According to British technology survey firm Cable, the mean rate of 1GB [mobile gigabyte] in Tanzania equals USD 0.75, ranking the nation 32nd cheapest globally and first in Eastern Africa.

Tanzanian Mobile Network Providers

There are mainly seven Tanzania cell phone companies: Airtel [27 per cent] Vodacom (30.5 percent), Zantel [2 per cent] Tigo (25.4 percent), TTCL [1.7 per cent] Halotel (13.3 percent), and Smile (0.02 percent).

Mobile providers have so far invested approximately $2.6 billion in the United Republic of Tanzania. Investments are mostly focused on telecommunications infrastructure, which is fuelling the increase of Tanzania cell phone carriers.

Tanzania Cell Phone Coverage Map

Tanzanian Mobile Internet Systems: 4G/3G/2G

Tanzania’s mobile net coverage has almost quadrupled between 2010 and 2018, reaching 18.5 per cent, with over 8 million new Tanzania cell phone carriers gained during that time.

Despite this expansion, 2\5 of the nation’s population remains offline and totally excluded from the socio-economic advantages of the internet, and approximately one-fifth of Tanzanians, or Eleven million individuals, are not served by mobile broadband service.

The most prevalent internet service in the United Republic of Tanzania is provided via 2G networks, which provide data speeds of up to 0.3 Megabytes per second and are used by 90 per cent of Tanzania cell phone carriers.

By the conclusion of 2018, both 3G as well as 4G networks, have reached approximately 61 and twenty-eight per cent of Tanzania’s total population, respectively.

Tanzania Digital Program

The WB [World Bank] is funding the Tanzania Digital Program, which seeks to help Tanzania unlock its digital capabilities by ensuring that number of Tanzania cell phone carriers increases and they have access to inexpensive high-quality connectivity. Also, that government services are readily available online, and that the digitalised economy drives innovation, growth, and employment generation.

There Will be Two Stages to the Program:

Stage 1, [2018 to 2022], will concentrate on building Tanzania’s fundamental Digital Foundations, including narrowing the connectivity deficit, increasing competitiveness in the market and investment, as well as expanding the government’s digitally enabled delivering services infrastructure and capabilities.

Stage 2, [2021 to 2026] will concentrate on the country’s digital acceleration, utilizing improved capacity and connectivity for general digital delivery services to speed up the digital growth of the economy, increase the number of Tanzania cell phone carriers, encourage both public and private innovation, and support the major growth of digital general service offerings all across key areas.

Stages 1 and 2 will entail close engagement with various stakeholders, such as mobile network providers and the corporate sector.

For more related articles on Manufacturing and Business in Tanzania (Trade) click here!