Mozambique Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Publication Date: April 2024

Report Pages: 135

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

OneWeb and Starlink extend satellite broadband to Mozambique

Mozambique was one of the first countries in the region to embark upon telecom reform and to open the sector to competition. The mobile segment in particular has shown strong growth since the launch of services by Vodacom Mozambique to compete against mCel, the then mobile subsidiary of the national telco Telecomunicações de Moçambique. Additional competition followed in late 2020 with the launch of services by Movitel.

Following years of poor management and underachievement, TdM and mCel were merged in early 2019, creating a new operator Mozambique Telecom (Tmcel). In the process, the structure of the market changed from having four operators (TdM, mCel, Vodafone Mozambique, and Movitel) to three (Tmcel, Vodafone Mozambique, and Movitel). At the same time, a new licensing regime ensured that by mid-2019 all three operators had been provided with universal licenses, enabling them to offer all types of telephony and data services.

Although Tmcel launched the second phase of a network modernisation program, the company’s dire financial condition calls into question the viability of its long-term plan to develop network infrastructure sufficient to compete effectively with Vodacom and Movitel. Not only did the state in April 2023 take over the day-to-day running of the company but it has also recommended selling most of the company’s assets as it seeks a strategic partner to help manage operations.

In recent years the government has enforced the registration of SIM cards, but with varying success. At the end of 2016 almost five million unregistered SIM cards were deactivated but poor monitoring meant that the process was revisited in mid-2019, in late 2020, and again in April 2023, this time supported by legislative amendments.

The high cost of international bandwidth had long hampered internet use, though the landing of two international submarine cables (SEACOM and EASSy) has reduced the cost of bandwidth and so led to drastic reductions in broadband retail prices as well as a significant jump in available bandwidth. The process of interconnection has also been facilitated by the opening of the country’s first Tier III data centre in early 2023.

There is some cross-platform competition, with DSL, cable, fibre, WiMAX, and mobile broadband options available, though fixed broadband options can be limited to urban areas.

Key developments:

Dimension Data Mozambique extends its satellite service to Mozambique using OneWeb’s constellation of 648 LEO satellites.
Vodacom Mozambique launches the first commercial 5G services in the country.
Mozambique Telecom progresses with the second phase of its network modernisation program.
Raxio Group completes its Tier-III carrier-neutral colocation data centre in Maputo.
Telecom regulator implements revised SIM card and mobile device registration scheme to tackle fraud.
Starlink launches satellite broadband services in Mozambique.
Government intends to install free Wi-Fi internet access in all districts of the country by 2024.
Mozambique state takes control of day-to-day running of Mozambique Telecom, seeks a strategic partner to help manage the company’s operations.
Telecom regulator signs cooperation agreement with the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM), to manage spectrum and standardization, and jointly develop their ICT sectors.
Report update includes the regulator's market data updates to 2021, operator data updates to June 2023, ITU market data updates, updated Telecom Maturity Index tables, charts, and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Mozambique Telecom (Telecomunicações De Moçambique, mCel), Vodacom Mozambique, Movitel (Viettel), Teledata, TV Cabo, Intra, Tropical Web, SEACOM

Key statistics
Regional Africa Market Comparison

Market characteristics
Market Leaders
Market Challengers
Market Emergents
TMI vs GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration

Country overview
Telecommunications market

Market analysis

Regulatory environment

Telecommunications Law 1992
Basic Telecommunications Act 2004
Amended Telecommunications Act 2016
Regulatory authority
National Commission on Information
Fixed network developments

Telecom sector liberalisation
Privatisation
Interconnection
Universal service
Spectrum monitoring

Mobile network developments

Third mobile licence
Spectrum auctions
Roaming
Mobile Termination Rate (MTR)
SIM card registration

Mobile market

Market analysis
Mobile statistics
Mobile data

Mobile broadband
Mobile infrastructure

5G
4G/LTE
3G

Major mobile operators

Tmcel
Vodacom Mozambique
Movitel

Mobile content and applications

m-money

Fixed-line broadband market

Broadband statistics
Public internet access locations
Mozambique Internet Exchange Point (MOZ-IX)
Fixed-line broadband technologies

Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Fixed wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX)
Project Loon

Digital economy

E-government
e-learning

Fixed network operator
Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
National fibre backbone
Data centres
International infrastructure

Satellite
Terrestrial microwave and fibre
Submarine fibre

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Mozambique – 2023 (e)
Table 2 – Development of mobile market revenue by operator (MZN billion) – 2018 – 2020
Table 3 – Change in the mobile market share of subscribers by operators – 2017 – 2021
Table 4 – Development of mobile voice traffic – 2015 – 2023
Table 5 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Table 6 – Development of SMS traffic – 2015 – 2021
Table 7 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Table 8 – Change in the number of Tmcel’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 9 – Development of Vodacom Mozambique’s financial data (MZM billion) – 2016 – 2023
Table 10 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Table 11 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile data subscribers – 2013 – 2023
Table 12 – Change in Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2023
Table 13 – Change in Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile voice traffic – 2012 – 2023
Table 14 – Change in the number of Movitel mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Table 15 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s M-Pesa subscribers – 2016 – 2023
Table 16 – Growth in the number of fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Table 17 – Growth in the number of cable broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 18 – Change in the number of DSL broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Table 19 – Growth in the number of FTTP broadband subscribers – 2014 – 2019
Table 20 – Decline in the number of fixed lines and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Table 21 – Change in the volume of fixed voice traffic – 2015 – 2021
Table 22 – International bandwidth – 2012 – 2021
Table 23 – Historic - Telecom market investment by operator ($ million) – 2008 – 2015
Table 24 – Historic - Telecom market revenue by sector (MZM billion) – 2004 – 2015
Table 25 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1997 – 2011
Table 26 – Historic - Mobile market revenue – 2012 – 2016
Table 27 – Historic - Vodacom Mozambique financial results (ZAR million) – 2006 – 2010
Table 28 – Historic - TdM financial results (MZN billion) – 2006 – 2011
Table 29 – Historic - TdM fixed lines – 2015 – 2016
Table 30 – Historic - Internet users and penetration rate – 1996 – 2015
Table 31 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and penetration – 2005 – 2011
Table 32 – Historic - Fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2007 – 2011
Table 33 – Historic - Mobile on-net and fixed-line national voice traffic (million minutes) – 2009 – 2016
Table 34 – Historic - 2G mobile base stations by operator – 2015 – 2016
Table 35 – Historic - 3G mobile base stations by operator – 2015 – 2016
Table 36 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1995 – 2011
Table 37 – Historic - DSL broadband subscribers – 2006 – 2011
Table 38 – Historic - International bandwidth – 2001 – 2011
Table 39 – Historic - Tmcel revenue – 2016 – 2017
Table 40 – Historic - Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile subscribers – 2008 – 2011
Table 41 – Historic - Change in Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile ARPU – 2008 – 2011

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Leaders
Chart 2 – Africa – Market Leaders global ranking
Chart 3 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Challengers
Chart 4 – Africa – Market Challengers global ranking
Chart 5 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents
Chart 6 – Africa – Market Emergents global ranking
Chart 7 – Africa – Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
Chart 8 – Africa – Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
Chart 9 – Africa – Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
Chart 10 – Development of mobile market revenue by operator (MZN billion) – 2018 – 2020
Chart 11 – Change in the mobile market share of subscribers by operators – 2017 – 2021
Chart 12 – Development of mobile voice traffic – 2015 – 2023
Chart 13 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2012 – 2027
Chart 14 – Development of SMS traffic – 2015 – 2021
Chart 15 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Chart 16 – Change in the number of Tmcel’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 17 – Development of Vodacom Mozambique’s financial data – 2016 – 2023
Chart 18 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2023
Chart 19 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile data subscribers – 2013 – 2023
Chart 20 – Change in Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2023
Chart 21 – Change in Vodacom Mozambique’s mobile voice traffic – 2012 – 2023
Chart 22 – Change in the number of Movitel mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2021
Chart 23 – Growth in the number of Vodacom Mozambique’s M-Pesa subscribers – 2016 – 2023
Chart 24 – Growth in the number of fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2027
Chart 25 – Growth in the number of cable broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 26 – Change in the number of DSL broadband subscribers – 2012 – 2019
Chart 27 – Growth in the number of FTTP broadband subscribers – 2014 – 2019
Chart 28 – Decline in the number of fixed lines and teledensity – 2012 – 2027
Chart 29 – Change in the volume of fixed lines voice traffic – 2015 – 2021

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Africa
Exhibit 2 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 3 – Africa – Market Leaders and market developments
Exhibit 4 – Africa – Market Challengers and market developments
Exhibit 5 – Africa – Market Emergents and market developments
Exhibit 6 – 2Africa landing stations

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Mozambique Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

OneWeb and Starlink extend satellite broadband to Mozambique

Key developments:

Companies mentioned in this report:

Key statistics

Regional Africa Market Comparison

Country overview

Telecommunications market

Regulatory environment

Mobile market

Fixed-line broadband market

Digital economy

Fixed network operator

Telecommunications infrastructure

Appendix – Historic data

Glossary of abbreviations

Related reports

Purchase this Report

Share this Report

TMT Intelligence

A platform to scale your intelligence tasks

Research Methodology

Hot Topics

News & Views