Online Reporter
Business Reporter
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s active mobile subscriptions grew by 2,39 percent in the third quarter of 2024, reaching nearly 10,87 million, compared to the second quarter, driven by increased investments and network upgrades, according to the latest official data.
The was a growth from 10,62 million recorded in the second quarter of 2024, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) said in its 2024 Postal and Telecommunications Sector Abridged Performance Report for the third quarter ended September 2024.
This comes as Econet has intensified investments on enhancing its network infrastructure to stay ahead in the competitive landscape of mobile broadband and digital service offerings.
Econet’s capital expenditure reached 18 percent of revenue year-on-year to November 2024 and this was largely incurred on modernising the network to support the growth in usage and improvement service quality in response to the growth in demand for services.
It also carried out base station modernisation with 16 new sites established, 33 radio access sites upgraded, and 270 microwave access links enhanced.
Additionally, it commissioned 20 new 5G sites nationwide.
Econet company secretary Ms Tatenda Ngowe recently revealed that Econet will continue modernising the network infrastructure to remain agile in its service offering and deliver the expected quality of service.
NetOne’s active mobile subscriptions recorded 0,34 percent decline to 3,86 million from 3,877 million in the third quarter of 2024 while Telecel’s active mobile subscribers grew by 12,16 percent to 377 790 from 336 821.
Increase in Telecel subscriptions is attributable to the reactivation promotion which they ran during the third quarter where dormant subscribers were getting free data and on-net voice bundles upon reactivation.
Econet lost its mobile voice traffic market share by 1,6 percent to 86,44 percent down from 88,04 percent while NetOne gained 1,60 percent. Telecel continued on a downward trend, losing 0,01 percent
Mobile penetration rate increased to 98,6 percent from 96,76 percent.
This comes as the introduction of Starlink brought more connectivity options for consumers, ranging from terrestrial wireline, wireless and space based wireless networks.
According to POTRAZ, this heightened competition has shaken the market, urging operators to innovate and introduce more competitive service offerings, particularly in internet packages.
