from ARNOLD MULENGA in Lusaka, Zambia
LUSAKA, (CAJ News) – ZAMBIA’S telecommunications regulator projects active mobile cellular subscriptions to increase to 22,4 million by the end of the year.
Subscriptions are forecast to reach 22,9 million at the end of 2025.
These will be up from the current 21,9 million subscriptions, documented as of the first half of 2024.
That was an increase from 20,1 million subscriptions in the first half of 2023.
The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has disclosed the figures in its 2024 mid-year market report.
“The demand for ICT services is projected to remain positive, driven by the increasing importance of services such as mobile money, government services and social media,” ZICTA stated.
Airtel Zambia retained the largest market share of mobile cellular subscriptions in the first half of 2024, followed by MTN Zambia.
Airtel’s market share increased to 47,9 percent of the total number of mobile cellular subscriptions at the end of June 2024.
The market share for MTN Zambia declined marginally to 31,6 percent over the same period.
Government-owned Zamtel increased to 20,5 percent.
Mobile money transactions also saw significant growth in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with the value of transactions rising from ZMW 199,5 billion (US$7,55 billion) to ZMW 222,8 billion ($8,43 billion).
The total number of network sites increased by 3,9 percent from 12 590 from the end of June 2023 to a total of 13 087 sites at the end of June 2024.
The most significant increase in the number of telecommunication sites is 5G, which increased from 123 to 408.
There was also a marked increase in the number of 3G sites, which increased to 4 067 sites from 3 932 sites over the reference period.
The total number of employees in the ICT sector increased marginally to 2 402 employees at the end of June 2024 from to 2 376 employees.
The copper-rich Southern African country has a population of over 21 million.
– CAJ News