Tanzania’s Mobile Subscribers Grew by 22% in the Last Year

According to an article appearing on Reuters Africa site, Tanzania’s mobile phone subscribers grew by an estimated 22% to 25.6 million in the last year. The development is said to have been helped by the low tariff introduced in the country.

Tanzania’s Communications Minister, Makame Mbarawa, said that phone tariffs were halved in Tanzania over the past 10 years due to increased competition.

“There are now eight licensed mobile phone subscribers, with seven in service. Besides increasing consumer choice, the increase in the number of service providers has led to a 50 percent fall in mobile tariffs,” the minister said in a statement.

The Mobile Termination charges to 7.16 U.S. cents in January this year from 7.83 U.S. cents in 2008. The MTRs are set to fall further from January 2013.

Currently the mobile phone penetration in Tanzania stand at around 47 percent while the number of internet users rose to 6 million by May 2012 from 5.3 million in December 2011.

Vodacom Tanzania is the market leader with a 43% market, Bharti Airtel at 28 %, Millicom’s subsidiary Tigo Tanzania 22% and Zantel 6 %.

Other smaller players are state-run telecoms firm TTCL, Sasatel and Benson, which have tiny market share.