The first quarter of 2025 has brought a mix of growth and shifts within the telecommunications sector, as detailed in the latest Abridged Sector Performance Report. This period saw continued expansion in mobile and internet subscriptions, alongside notable changes in traffic patterns and financial performance across operators.
Mobile and Fixed Telephony Trends
Active mobile subscriptions experienced a modest increase of 1.38%, rising from 15,677,094 to 15,893,626. However, despite this growth in subscriber numbers, the mobile penetration rate saw a slight decline of 0.87 percentage points, settling at 101.39% from a previous 102.26%. This seemingly counterintuitive trend is attributed to an annual increase in population figures, which impacts the penetration rate calculation. Similarly, active fixed telephone subscriptions also saw a marginal increase of 0.91%, reaching 300,748 from 298,047. The fixed tele-density, however, mirrored the mobile trend, declining by 0.02 percentage points to 1.92% due to the same population growth factor.
Internet and Data Services Evolution
The internet and data services segment continued its upward trajectory, with active internet/data subscriptions increasing by 0.45% from 11,889,736 to 11,942,857. Despite this, both internet and broadband penetration rates experienced a slight dip, with internet penetration decreasing by 1.37 percentage points to 76.19% and broadband penetration by 1.15 percentage points to 74.37%. These declines are also linked to the updated annual population figures. More significantly, mobile internet/data traffic witnessed a substantial surge of 17.31%, escalating from 97.19 Petabytes in the fourth quarter of 2024 to an impressive 114.02 Petabytes in the first quarter of 2025. This indicates a growing reliance on mobile data for various activities.
Traffic and Financial Performance
Voice traffic presented a mixed picture. Total mobile voice traffic increased by 5.38%, moving from 3.98 billion minutes to 4.20 billion minutes. Conversely, total voice traffic by the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) Operator declined by 5.19%, from 58.48 million minutes to 55.44 million minutes, suggesting a continued shift towards mobile communication. Financially, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) experienced a 4.20% decline in total revenue, from ZWG6.42 billion to ZWG6.15 billion. Concurrently, their aggregate operating costs rose by 33.46%, from ZWG2.8 billion to ZWG3.68 billion. Capital expenditure for MNOs saw a significant decrease of 50%, falling from ZWG842.20 million to ZWG423.81 million. In contrast, Internet Access Providers (IAPs) saw their revenues grow by 7.87%, from ZWG2.09 billion to ZWG2.26 billion. Their operating costs and capital expenditure also increased, by 14.93% and a substantial 252.39% respectively.
International Connectivity and Postal Services
International internet bandwidth capacity showed positive growth. Equipped international Internet bandwidth capacity increased by 2.29%, from 1,401,746 Mbps to 1,433,865 Mbps. More dramatically, used incoming international Internet bandwidth capacity soared by 202.90%, from 889,102 Mbps to 2,693,127 Mbps, while used outgoing international Internet bandwidth capacity grew by 131.43%, from 169,957 Mbps to 393,323 Mbps. This highlights a significant increase in international data exchange. The postal and courier sector, however, experienced a decline in volumes, dropping by 3.88% from 329,055 items to 316,298. Despite this, the total number of operational postal and courier outlets increased slightly from 511 to 516. Revenues, operating costs, and capital expenditure for postal and courier services all declined by 15%, 21%, and 68% respectively.
These highlights paint a comprehensive picture of the telecommunications landscape in Q1 2025, showcasing dynamic shifts in subscriber behavior, traffic patterns, and financial performance across various segments.
