Mozambique - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Digital Media - Statistics and Analyses

1. Executive summary

2. Key statistics

3. Country overview

4. Telecommunications market

4.1 Market analysis

5. Regulatory environment

5.1 Telecommunications Law 1992

5.2 Basic Telecommunications Law 2004

5.3 Amended Telecommunications Law 2016

5.4 Regulatory authority

5.5 National Commission on Information

5.6 Telecom sector liberalisation

5.7 Privatisation

5.8 Interconnection

5.9 Universal service

5.10 Quality of service

5.11 Network sharing

5.12 Spectrum monitoring

5.13 SIM card registration

6. Fixed network operator

7. Telecommunications infrastructure

7.1 Overview of the national telecom network

7.2 National fibre backbone

7.3 Data centres

7.4 International infrastructure

7.4.1 Satellite

7.4.2 Terrestrial microwave and fibre

7.4.3 Submarine fibre

8. Fixed-line broadband market

8.1 Introduction and statistical overview

8.2 Broadband statistics

8.3 Public internet access locations

8.4 Mozambique Internet Exchange Point (MOZ-IX)

8.5 Fixed-line broadband technologies

8.5.1 Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) networks

8.5.2 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks

8.5.3 Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks

8.5.4 Fixed wireless (Wi-Fi and WiMAX)

9. Digital economy

9.1 E-government

9.2 e-learning

10. Digital media

11. Mobile market

11.1 Market analysis

11.2 Mobile statistics

11.2.1 General statistics

11.3 Mobile broadband

11.4 Forecasts mobile subscribers 2016; 2018; 2021

11.5 Regulatory issues

11.5.1 Third mobile licence

11.5.2 Spectrum auction

11.5.3 Roaming

11.6 Mobile infrastructure

11.6.1 Digital networks

11.6.2 Other infrastructure developments

11.7 Major mobile operators

11.7.1 mCel

11.7.2 Vodacom Mozambique

11.7.3 Movitel

11.8 Mobile content and applications

11.8.1 m-money

12. Related reports

Table 1 Country statistics Mozambique 2016 (e)

Table 2 Fixed-line network statistics 2016 (e)

Table 3 Internet provider statistics 2016

Table 4 Internet and social media user statistics 2016 (e)

Table 5 Mobile statistics 2016 (e)

Table 6 National telecommunications authority

Table 7 historic - TdM financial results 2006 - 2011

Table 8 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity 1995 - 2009

Table 9 Fixed lines in service and teledensity 2010 - 2017

Table 10 International bandwidth 2001 - 2015

Table 11 Historic - Internet users and penetration rate 1996 2009

Table 12 Internet users and penetration rate 2010 2017

Table 13 Fixed-line broadband subscribers 2007 - 2017

Table 14 NetCabo cable broadband pricing 2016

Table 15 DSL broadband subscribers 2006 - 2017

Table 16 TdM ADSL pricing 2016

Table 17 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 1997 - 2009

Table 18 Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2010 - 2017

Table 19 Active mobile broadband subscribers 2010 - 2017

Table 20 Forecast mobile subscribers 2016; 2018; 2021

Table 21 Mobile base stations by operator 2015

Table 22 mCel mobile subscribers 2012 - 2013

Table 23 Historical - Vodacom Mozambique financial results 2007 - 2010

Table 24 Vodacom Mozambique subscribers 2008 - 2016

Table 25 Vodacom Mozambique data subscribers 2013 - 2016

Table 26 Vodacom Mozambique ARPU 2008 - 2016

Table 27 Movitel mobile subscribers 2012 - 2015

Chart 1 Fixed lines in service and teledensity 2005 2017

Chart 2 Internet users and penetration rate 2005 2017

Chart 3 Mobile subscribers and penetration rate 2005 - 2017

Mozambique - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Digital Media - Statistics and Analyses

Mozambique mobile market retaining millions of unregistered SIM

Although delayed by the long civil war which ended in 1992, Mozambique was one of the first countries in the region to embark upon telecom reform. As a result, some parts of the sector have seen the introduction of measures which have promoted competition, and which promote access to infrastructure. The mobile segment in particular has shown strong growth since the introduction of competition in 2003 between Vodacom Mozambique and mCel, the incumbent mobile subsidiary of the national telco Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TdM). Mobile penetration remains far below the average for the region, and given that the country has relatively low fixed-line penetration there is considerable room for further growth in coming years. This has been stimulated by the launch of commercial services from the third operator Movitel, which is backed by Vietnam's Viettel.

In recent years the government has drafted legislation aimed at enforcing the registration of SIM cards (with mixed results, though progress was made during 2016) as also the sharing of network infrastructure. These measures are aimed at improving security (in relation to SIM card registration), reducing operational and investment costs, and enabling players to provide converged voice, data and TV services over single networks.

The poor fixed-line infrastructure has largely held back the market for fixed-line internet services, and as a result mobile internet accounts for most connections. The high cost of international bandwidth had long hampered internet use, given the relatively high cost of access, though the landing of two international submarine cables (SEACOM and EASSy) has reduced the cost of bandwidth and so led to drastic reductions in broadband retail prices.

There is some cross-platform competition, with DSL, cable broadband, WiMAX, 3G and limited fibre broadband available. Further improvements can be expected from the ongoing rollout of a national fibre backbone networks by TdM and the mobile operators.

Key developments:

Incumbent telco MdT contracts Intelsat for satellite broadband and backhaul services; regulator seeks consultants on interconnection tariffs; draft legislation submitted to encourage network sharing; government suggests that struggling telcos MdT and mCel be merged; millions of SIM cards still unregistered after deadline; regulator secures spectrum monitoring equipment; Movitel's investment strategy leading to rapid subscriber gains; Liquid Sea and Africa-1 submarine cable systems to improve bandwidth into 2018; additional DTTV transmitters installed; Mozambique joins the Alliance for Affordable Internet, aiming to provide broadband at less than 5% of average monthly income; Mobile Termination Rates reduced by 20%; fibre optic backbone network rollouts; Vodacom signs deal with Electricidade de Mocambique to market pre-paid top-up cards for electricity via the M-Pesa service; report update includes operator data updates to Q2 2016, ITU market data updates, recent market developments.

Estimated market penetration rates in Mozambique's telecoms sector 2016 (e)

Market | Penetration rate

Fixed-line telephony | 0.3%

Internet users | 6.4%

Mobile SIM (population) | 77%

Companies mentioned in this report:

Telecomunicações De Moçambique (TdM); Vodacom Mozambique; mCel (TdM); Movitel (Viettel); Teledata (TdM); TV Cabo; Intra; Tropical Web, SEACOM.