Tanzania's mobile phone subscriptions rise to nearly 44 million
25/09/2019 10:01
By Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala
DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Tanzania's mobile phone
subscriptions rose to 43.67 million in the three months ending
in June, a 4.7% increase from a year earlier, an official report
showed on Wednesday.
Vodacom Tanzania VODA.TZ , a subsidiary of South Africa's
Vodacom Group VODJ.J , remained the market leader for both
mobile phone subscribers and mobile money transfers.
As in many other African countries, mobile phone use has
surged in Tanzania over the past decade, underpinned by the
availability of cheaper smartphones.
The number of internet users in the East African country
rose to 23.14 million in June, up from 22.99 million a year ago,
the state-run Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority
(TCRA) said in a report.
The number of people using mobile money transfers rose to
22.9 million in second quarter from 20.8 million previously.
Vodacom Tanzania increased its share of the mobile phone
subscription market share slightly to 33% from 32%.
Other major mobile operators in Tanzania include Tigo, part
of Sweden's Millicom TIGOsdb.ST with a 27% market share,
Airtel, a unit of India's Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS on 26% and
Halotel, owned by Vietnam's Viettel VTP.HNO , with 10%.
Vodacom Tanzania also holds a 41% share of the country's
thriving mobile money business, which handled transactions worth
8.3 trillion Tanzanian shillings ($3.6 billion) in June,
according to TCRA.
($1 = 2,293.0000 Tanzanian shillings)
(Reporting by Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala; editing by Hereward
Holland and David Clarke)
((hereward.holland@thomsonreuters.com; +254 20 499 1232;
Reuters Messaging:
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