By Alois Vinga
MOBILE data usage in Zimbabwe increased by 26%, signifying growth in the consumption of internet based services in the country, a latest report has revealed.
A Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) report for the third quarter of 2022 projects that the trend is set to sustain an upward trajectory.
“Mobile Internet and data usage increased by 26, 1% to record 32,473,1TB in the third quarter of 2022, from 25,756TB recorded in the second quarter of 2022. Total mobile Internet and data traffic has been consistently growing during the year.
“The trend is expected to continue as access improves and the scope of services increases,” the report said.
In the quarter under review, NetOne gained Internet and data usage market share by a margin of 4, 9%, in line with the growth in traffic.
“On the other hand, Econet and Telecel lost market share by 4, 6% and 0, 3% respectively,” said the report.
Mobile revenues grew by 104,3% to record ZW$79,5 billion in the third quarter of 2022, from ZW$38,9 billion recorded in the second quarter of 2022.
In absolute terms, all mobile networks recorded significant increases in revenues in the quarter under review.
“Voice is still the main revenue contributor for the mobile network operators. However, its contribution has been declining gradually over the years, with the contribution of the Internet and data rising and steadily replacing voice. This trend continued into the third quarter of 2022,” said POTRAZ.
Operating costs incurred by the mobile network operators increased by 97,1% to record ZW$48,6 billion in the third quarter of 2022, from ZW$24,6 billion recorded in the second quarter of 2022.
Bandwidth costs constituted the bulk of operating costs by mobile operators 30,1%, followed by staff costs 19%.
The trend of rising costs is attributable to the inflationary pressures in the economy, from which the sector has not been spared. Figure 9 below shows a comparison of operating costs and revenues over the year.
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