Rwanda Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Last updated: 22 Jun 2026 Update History

Report Status: Current

Report Pages: 193

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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Summary
Table Of Contents

Rwanda aims for an ambitious digital transformation

In recent years, Rwanda has taken several steps to develop economic growth through the greater use of telecoms and ICT. To this end, it has encouraged upgrades to the national telecom network and the extension of terrestrial fibre links through neighbouring countries for access to several subsea cable systems. Having historically relied on cable connectivity on the Indian Ocean coast, the country is now part of the East-to-West Coast African corridor, following a route running between Mombasa on the Indian Ocean and Muanda on the Atlantic Ocean.

These connections enabled Rwanda’s telcos and ISPs to almost double international bandwidth in 2025. In turn, this is supporting the government’s long-term ambitions to transform the economy with digital tools, encourage the use of digital services, and ensure that all government services are entirely online by 2030. With further investment in data centres, Rwanda is also aiming to become a regional hub for data hosting.

The mobile sector is a duopoly of MTN Rwanda and Airtel Rwanda. MTN Rwanda remains the dominant operator, holding 66% of the market by subscribers. The company’s strategy has been to secure revenue growth by focusing on the high-end business segment. It has invested in LTE network expansion and was the first MNO to launch 5G services, though thus far 5G is limited to areas of Kigali. Airtel Rwanda has adopted a different strategy, being focused on affordability in an attempt to encourage churn from MTN’s customer base. Airtel is involved in the government’s ConnectRwanda 2.0 initiative, aimed at bridging the digital divide. Airtel’s contribution has focused on importing and distributing over a million low-cost LTE smartphones and providing flexible payment plans.

The fixed broadband sector has suffered from limited fixed-line infrastructure and high prices. Although satellite services are too expensive for most people, and thus are largely limited to the business sector, there have been important developments. Paratus Rwanda became a local distributor of Starlink’s broadband services, while the government earlier in 2026 signed up to an initiative to deploy a regional satellite to enhance connectivity across East Africa’s northern corridor.

Key developments:

MTN Rwanda extends 5G services to more areas of Kigali.
Rwanda joins the Northern Corridor Regional Communication and Broadcasting Satellite Initiative (NCRCBSI), aimed at deploying a jointly owned regional satellite.
Rwanda targets $5 billion in investment in a new data hub.
Paratus Rwanda sets up as a distributor for Starlink’s satellite broadband services and opens a new fibre route.
MTN Rwanda’s LTE population coverage reaches 94.8%.
Report update includes the regulator’s annual reports, market data to December 2025, telcos’ operating data to Q4 2025, updated Telecom Maturity Index tables, charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Rwandatel (Terracom, LapGreen), MTN Rwanda (MTN Rwandacell), Liquid Telecom (LIT), Tigo Rwanda (Millicom), Bharti Airtel, Artel Rwanda, Electrogaz

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

Historic overview
Market analysis

Government support

National Broadband Policy and Strategy - 2022
ICT Sector Strategic Plan 2024–2029
Rwanda National Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Strategy

Regulatory environment

Regulatory authority

Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA)
RITA and RICTA
Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT)

Fixed-line developments

Licensing
Market liberalisation
Third operator licence
Fourth operator licence
Interconnection
Universal access

Mobile network developments

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Tower infrastructure
Quality of Service (QoS)
Mobile Termination Rate (MTR)
One Area Network
SIM card registration

Mobile market

Market analysis
Mobile statistics
Mobile infrastructure

5G
LTE
3G
Mobile satellite
Mobile data
Mobile broadband

Major mobile operators

MTN Rwanda
Rwandatel (formerly Terracom Mobile)
Tigo Rwanda
Airtel Rwanda

Mobile handsets
Mobile content and applications

Money transfer, m-banking

Fixed-line broadband market

Broadband statistics
Rwanda Internet Exchange Point (RINEX)
Cybercafes and telecentres
One Laptop per Child (OLPC)
Other initiatives
Fixed-line broadband technologies

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
Other fixed broadband services

Digital Economy

E-government
E-health
E-learning
Cloud services

Fixed network operators

LIT (Liquid Telecom)

Privatisation
Network infrastructure
Wireless local loop (WLL)

Artel Communications

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network

National Fibre Backbone
LIT (Rwandatel/Terracom)
Electrogaz
MTN Rwanda

Data centres and infrastructure
International infrastructure

VSAT
Smart Africa Alliance
The East Africa Backhaul System (EABS)
Submarine cables

Appendix – Historic data
Glossary of abbreviations
Related reports

List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities – Rwanda – 2026 (e)
Table 2 – Development of telecom sector investment – 2012 – 2021
Table 3 – Development of telecom sector revenue – 2012 – 2021
Table 4 – Development of the regulator’s revenue from the ICT sector – 2018 – 2022
Table 5 – Decline in termination rates by service (RWF per minute/SMS) – 2017 – 2019
Table 6 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2015 – 2025
Table 7 – Change in mobile call tariffs (RWF / minute) – 2012 – 2025
Table 8 – Development of mobile sector revenue – 2015 – 2021
Table 9 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2014 – 2028
Table 10 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by operator (regulator data) (million) – 2012 – 2025
Table 11 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2025
Table 12 – Development of SMS on-net, off-net, and international traffic – 2020 – 2025
Table 13 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2014 – 2028
Table 14 – Change in the number of active mobile broadband connections by technology – 2017 – 2025
Table 15 – Change in the share of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2025
Table 16 – Change in the number of mobile internet subscribers by operator (million) – 2012 – 2025
Table 17 – Growth in fixed and mobile broadband traffic (TB) – 2020 – 2022
Table 18 – Change in the number of MTN Rwanda’s mobile sites by technology – 2016 – 2025
Table 19 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s mobile ARPU ($) – 2012 – 2025
Table 20 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s mobile ARPU (RWF) – 2015 – 2025
Table 21 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s financial data (ZAR million) – 2012 – 2025
Table 22 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s financial data (RWF million)– 2016 – 2025
Table 23 – Change in MTN Rwanda’s revenue by type (RWF million)– 2018 – 2025
Table 24 – Growth in the number of MTN Rwanda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2025
Table 25 – Change in the number of Airtel Rwanda’s subscribers – 2012 – 2025
Table 26 – Increase in the number of m-money transactions and value – 2016 – 2021
Table 27 – Increase in the number of m-money agents – 2023 – 2025
Table 28 – Change in the number of m-money agents by operator – 2023 – 2025
Table 29 – Change in the share of m-money accounts by operator – 2023 – 2025
Table 30 – Increase in MTN Rwanda’s m-money revenue – 2018 – 2025
Table 31 – Increase in the number of MTN Rwanda’s m-money transactions – 2019 – 2024
Table 32 – Increase in the number of MTN Rwanda’s m-money subscribers – 2018 – 2025
Table 33 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2012 – 2025
Table 34 – Internet subscribers by platform – 2012 – 2025
Table 35 – Dial-up internet subscribers by operator – 2013 – 2024
Table 36 – Change in the number of fixed broadband (>256kb/s) subscribers by operator – 2013 – 2025
Table 37 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by major ISP – 2012 – 2025
Table 38 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by platform – 2020 – 2025
Table 39 – Development of RINEX’s average internet traffic (Gb/s) – 2018 – 2022
Table 40 – Development of RINEX’s maximum internet traffic (Gb/s) – 2018 – 2022
Table 41 – Change in the number of fixed lines by operator – 2012 – 2025
Table 42 – Change in the market share of fixed lines by operator – 2019 – 2025
.Table 43 – Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2014 – 2028
Table 44 – Increase in international bandwidth (Mb/s) – 2012 – 2025
Table 45 – Historic - Telecom sector investment – 2005 – 2011
Table 46 – Historic - Telecom sector revenue – 2002 – 2011
Table 47 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1999 – 2013
Table 48 – Historic - Internet subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2011
Table 49 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1999 – 2013
Table 50 – Historic - MTN Rwanda ARPU – 2002 – 2011
Table 51 – Historic - Tigo Rwanda B2C subscribers – 2010 – 2017
Table 52 – Historic - Tigo Rwanda mobile subscribers – 2015 – 2018
Table 53 – Historic - International bandwidth – 2006 – 2011
Table 54 – Historic - Change in mobile call tariffs (RWF / minute) – 2009 – 2011
Table 55 – Historic - Mobile subscribers by operator (regulator data) (million) – 2009 – 2011
Table 56 – Historic - Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2010 – 2013
Table 57 – Historic - Change in the number of Airtel Rwanda’s subscribers – 2010 – 2011
Table 58 – Historic - Internet subscribers by platform (thousand) – 2009 – 2011
Table 59 – Historic - Change in the number of fixed lines by operator – 2010 – 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 telecom sector investment – 2012 – 2021
Chart 11 – Development of telecom sector revenue – 2012 – 2021
Chart 12 – Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers – 2015 – 2025
Chart 13 – Development of mobile sector revenue – 2015 – 2021
Chart 14 – Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration – 2014 – 2028
Chart 15 – Change in the number of mobile subscribers by operator (regulator data) – 2012 – 2025
Chart 16 – Change in the market share of mobile subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2025
Chart 17 – Development of SMS on-net, off-net, and international traffic – 2020 – 2025
Chart 18 – Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2014 – 2028
Chart 19 – Change in the number of active mobile broadband connections by technology – 2017 – 2024
Chart 20 – Change in the share of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2025
Chart 21 – Change in the number of mobile internet subscribers by operator – 2012 – 2025
Chart 22 – Growth in fixed and mobile broadband traffic – 2020 – 2022
Chart 23 – Change in the number of MTN Rwanda’s mobile sites by technology – 2016 – 2025
Chart 24 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s mobile ARPU – 2012 – 2025
Chart 25 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s financial data (ZAR) – 2012 – 2025
Chart 26 – Development of MTN Rwanda’s financial data (RWF)– 2016 – 2025
Chart 27 – Change in MTN Rwanda’s revenue by type (RWF)– 2018 – 2025
Chart 28 – Growth in the number of MTN Rwanda’s mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2025
Chart 29 – Change in the number of Airtel Rwanda’s subscribers – 2012 – 2025
Chart 30 – Increase in the number of m-money transactions and value – 2016 – 2021
Chart 31 – Growth in the number of internet users and penetration – 2012 – 2025
Chart 32 – Change in the number of fixed broadband (>256kb/s) subscribers by operator – 2017 – 2025
Chart 33 – Change in the number of internet subscribers by major ISP – 2016 – 2025
Chart 34 – Change in the number of fixed lines by operator – 2016 – 2025
Chart 35 – Change in the market share of fixed lines by operator – 2019 – 2025
Chart 36 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2014 – 2028
Chart 37 – Increase in international bandwidth (Gb/s) – 2012 – 2025

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

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Rwanda Telecoms Market Report

Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Purchase this Report

Rwanda aims for an ambitious digital transformation

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 operators

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