Source:POTRAZ says telecoms set for strong growth– herald
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) says the industry is positioned for strong growth following the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) technology and the entry of global low-earth-orbit satellite service giant Starlink The sector is projected to experience accelerated growth on account of the growing adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) According to the POTRAZ first quarter 2025 sector performance report, Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) subscriptions registered a 32,02 percent increase in the first three months of this year “This is attributed to the continued increase in Starlink subscriptions,” reads part of the report
Starlink falls under the VSAT umbrella, which saw subscriptions surging to 30 907 in the first quarter from 23 410 in the same period last year Starlink officially launched in Zimbabwe in September 2024 and has quickly gained popularity due to its low-cost satellite internet service During the quarter under review, active fibre subscriptions recorded a 2,36 percent growth to 81 287 compared to 2024 Fixed LTE subscriptions grew by 7,25 percent to 109 504 in the review period compared to 102105 in the same quarter last year
Mobile internet subscriptions, the largest internet/data technology, registered a marginal 0,32 percent growth to 11 604 414 in the first quarter from 11 569 253 in the same period last year Overall, the total number of active internet/data subscriptions for the quarter under review increased by 0,45 percent 2024 levels to 11 942 857 in the first quarter of 2025 The internet penetration rate, however, went down by 1,37 percentage points to 76,19 percent in the first quarter of this year, owing to a higher change in the population figure of 1,6 percent compared to an increase of 0,45 percent in internet/data subscriptions “Broadband penetration rate also went down by 1,15 percentage points from 75,52 percent to 74,37 percent, due to the same reason,” reads part of the report
According to the report, revenue for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) declined by 4,20 percent from ZiG6,42 billion to ZiG6,15 billion in the first three months “Higher revenues in the previous quarter might have been driven by increased consumer spending due to the festive season, while back-to-school demands could have affected consumers’ spending power in the quarter under review,” POTRAZ said It noted that, on the other hand, aggregate operating costs for MNOs increased by 33,46 percent from ZiG2,8 billion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024 to ZiG3,68 billion in the first quarter of 2025 Source: Zimbabwe Situation
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Source: Zimbabwesituation
