Tanzania Telecom Penetration Fall to 78% in 2017

Tanzania Telecom Penetration 2017

The latest Quarterly Communications Statistics Report by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) for the period October-December 2017 shows that total Voice Telecom Subscriptions reached 40,080,954 at the end of 2017.

This corresponds to a telecom services penetration of 78%, compared to 80% reached in 2016 with 40,173,783 users, and indicates a negative net addition of -82,829 users.

In 2017, 39,953,860 (99.6%) were mobile network subscriptions while 127,094 (0.4%) were on fixed network.

Tanzania Investment Guide 2026 Free Edition

Mobile network subscriptions decreased by -90,326 units (-0.2%) in 2017 compared to 40,044,186 at the end of 2016.

Fixed network subscriptions, provided mostly by TTCL, and in a very small percentage by Zantel, decreased by -2,503 units (-1.9%) in 2017.

The same year, Vodacom remains the largest mobile operator in Tanzania with 12,866,059 subscriptions and 32.2% market share.

It is follwoed by Tigo (11,062,852 – 27.6%), Airtel (10,855,955 – 27.1%), Halotel (3,799,691 – 9.5%), Zantel (935,161 – 2.3%), TTCL (429,735 – 1.0%), and Smart (131,501 – 0.3%).

Vodacom, Airtel, Halotel, and TTCL saw their subscriptions increase between 2016 and 2017 by +3.5%, +3.8%, +10.5%, and +46.4% respectively.

TanzaniaInvest Capital Markets Report Banner

However, Tigo, Zantel, and Smart saw their subscriptions shrink by -5.2%, -13.8%, and -83.6%.

Want to know more about Telecoms in Tanzania? Our free overview of the Tanzania Business and Investment Guide 2026 covers Telecoms, plus key sectors and investment opportunities. The complete 141-page edition includes policies, taxation, key regulations, full macroeconomic data, and sources, and is also available at no cost upon completion of a short form.

Download Free OverviewGet the Full Edition for Free
Related Posts
Tanzania Smartphone Masai
Read More

Tanzania Telecom Subscriptions Reach 117 Million in Q2 2026, 5G Coverage Climbs to 34%

Tanzania telecom subscriptions reached 117.0 million in Q2 2026, up 4.51% from 111.9 million, as 5G population coverage rose to 34.18% and internet data traffic climbed 11.65% to 1,041 petabytes. Internet subscriptions reached 62.79 million, with average download speeds of 14.26 Mbps on mobile and 31.77 Mbps on fixed broadband. Mobile money accounts grew to 87.05 million, and transactions increased by 5.38%, reaching 2.1 billion in the quarter ending June 2026.
Tanzania Huawei MOU Ceremony
Read More

Tanzania and Huawei Sign MOU to Advance Digital Economy and Innovation

Tanzania's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and Huawei Technologies Tanzania have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Shanghai to strengthen cooperation in the digital economy, innovation and digital transformation. The partnership covers ICT infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital public services, local skills development, and digital device production in support of Vision 2050.