Mobile

Tanzania Mobile SubscriptionsTanzania Mobile

In the past 5 years, mobile subscriptions in Tanzania rose by 89%, from 21m in 2010 to almost 40m in 2015.

There are 8 mobile network operators (MNOs) in Tanzania: Airtel, Smart, Smile, Halotel, Tigo, TTCL, Vodacom, and Zantel. The latest MNO to enter Tanzanian was Halotel in October 2015.

The company has invested over USD1b in the country and plans to cover 90% of Tanzania’s population with 3G services by the end of 2016.

Tanzania Mobile Internet Network: 4G/3G/2G Services

The number of mobile internet users increased significantly during 2011–2015, from 3.7m to 16.2m, accounting for more than 90% of the total number of internet users.

The most common broadband service in Tanzania is given through 2G connections, which offers a speed of up to 0.3 Mbps and is used by 85% of the mobile subscribers in Tanzania.

Currently (2016), 3G and 4G services with speeds of up to 8Mbps are being used by 2.53m mobile subscribers across the country.

“The further extension of mobile and 3G access is fundamental to ensuring digital inclusion, i.e., the principle that the benefits of telecommunications should be available to all, regardless of location or socioeconomic status,” the GSM Association (GSMA) indicates in its report “Digital inclusion and mobile sector taxation in Tanzania”.