Harare, (New Ziana)-The telecommunications and postal sector recorded significant growth in 2024, marked by a sharp rise in mobile and internet usage, alongside increased investment in network infrastructure and a modest increase in overall sector revenue.
According to 2024 sector performance report produced by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), active mobile subscriptions rose marginally by 4.7 percent, increasing from 14,973,816 in 2023 to 15,677,094 by the end of 2024 a growth rate that pushed the mobile penetration rate above the 100 percent mark for the first time, reaching 102.26 percent, up from 97.5 percent in the previous year.
Conversely, the number of fixed telephone lines continued its downward trend, dropping by 3.75 percent from 309,645 in 2023 to 298,047 in 2024. As a result, fixed tele-density declined slightly by 0.06 percentage points, ending the year at 1.94 percent said POTRAZ.
Internet and data services showed stronger growth as active internet/data subscriptions rose by 11.14 percent, reaching 12,493,098 by the end of 2024 which drove the internet penetration rate up to 81.49 percent, an 8.19 percentage point increase from the 73.3 percent recorded in 2023.
Data consumption soared in tandem, with mobile internet/data traffic reaching a record 299.77 petabytes (PB) in 2024—a massive 75.09 percent increase from the 171.21PB used in 2023 said POTRAZ. The expansion of international bandwidth also played a role: used incoming capacity increased by 56.98 percent to 2,072,642Mbps, while outgoing capacity rose by 31.75 percent to 516,883Mbps.
Voice traffic also grew, rising by 12.82 percent from 11.7 billion to 13.2 billion minutes, with most of the increase attributed to national net-on-net calls spurred by competitive promotions from telecom providers with POTRAZ suggesting that the entry of global satellite internet provider Starlink may have further intensified market competition, driving service improvements and usage.
Despite strong growth in usage metrics, financial returns were more modest.
The total sector revenue for 2024 stood at USD1 billion, reflecting a minimal annual growth rate of 0.28 percent from the USD997.2 million earned in 2023.
Meanwhile, operating costs rose sharply by 20.01 percent, from USD530.6 million to USD636.8 million, reflecting the broader impact of inflationary pressures and a major currency change during the year.
Capital investments in telecommunications rose dramatically by 91.5 percent, from USD55.4 million to USD106.1 million, driven largely by upgrades in LTE and 5G infrastructure.
However, capital expenditure by postal and courier services declined by nearly half, from USD454,404 to USD234,207, indicating continued challenges in that segment of the sector.
The year 2024 thus marked a period of strong digital expansion, heightened competition, and escalating operational costs, setting the stage for further transformation in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications landscape.
New Ziana
