What You Need to Know
Tanzania's communications sector has experienced a remarkable 400% growth from March 2021 to December 2025, fueled by enhanced infrastructure, competitive services, and affordable tariffs. Key advancements include the rollout of 5G technology, increased mobile SIM card usage, and improved internet access, which have collectively boosted digital inclusion and economic participation across the Tanzl
Africa-Press – Tanzania. TANZANIA’S communications sector has grown rapidly between March 2021 and December 2025, with more enabling infrastructure, service penetration, competition and heightened consumer experience due to affordable tariffs.
An analysis of the latest communications data shows that sound policies, effective regulation, as reflected in the good allocation of spectrum to service providers, have led to up to 400 per cent of growth in service areas.
The data, recently released by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Director General, Dr Jabiri Bakari, indicates that advanced internetready communication technologies have penetrated more consumers in the past four years.
They include the fifth generation of mobile communication technologies (5G), which entered Tanzania in 2022 and has penetrated 30 per cent of the population within the last three years.
The size and capacity of the National Information and Communications Technologies Backbone (NICTBB) quadrupled. More submarine fibre optic cables landed in Tanzania and three new public data centres were built and commissioned.
Analysts say this expansion has been largely driven by new towers built from May 2023, when President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan launched an ambitious infrastructure improvement project.
The project involved the construction of 758 new mobile communications towers and upgrading 304 to enable secondgeneration (2G) facilities to support more advanced mobile phone services.
The communication improvement project also involved the construction of 42 more towers in 38 wards in Unguja and Pemba.
Two G enables voice and text messaging; 3G enables voice, text messaging, data, images and videos and 4G combines all these with high-speed internet. Five G enables high-speed communications and can simultaneously connect multiple digital devices.
5G services have penetrated 30.13 per cent of the population and cover 10.9 per cent of the country. By December 2025, all regions in Tanzania had at least one 5G installation.
Between March 2021 and December 2025, 2G had penetrated 98.64 per cent, from 96.1 per cent. 3G penetrated 93.92 per cent, from 70.3.
Four G has penetrated 94.2 per cent of the population, up from 50.4. This growth has enabled the use of multiple services, increased digital inclusion and widened access to internet and communication services.
It has enabled the implementation of digital inclusion policies and increased opportunities for more people to participate in the economy.
Active mobile phone SIM cards increased by 102 per cent during the period under review, from 52,813,930 to 106,823,601.
SIM cards that accessed internet services increased by 100 per cent, from 29,071,817 in March 2021 to 58,106,264 in December 2025.
This growth indicates the improvement of infrastructure, the use of digital services, enhanced quality and delivery of services.
The growth stimulates innovation, promotes e-commerce, and facilitates the delivery of e-Government services. Internet services have penetrated 85.3 per cent of the population, from 48.9 per cent in March 2021.
This has surpassed the Government’s target of 80 per cent by December 2025. Smartphones have penetrated 41.82 per cent of the population.
This indicates that more people access and use digital services, which is crucial to a successful digital economy.
It also increases productivity and bridges the digital divide. More advanced technologies and applications have been introduced in Tanzania. An example is machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.
There were 1,133,063 active M2M SIM cards as of December 2025. Mobile money accounts increased by 134 per cent, from 32,720,180 to 76,466,691 by December 2025. This increase indicates the improvement of financial inclusion and the convenience of financial transactions.
It promotes informal and formal economic activities through the adoption and use of digital systems.
The period also witnessed an increase in the number of international fibre optic submarine cables landing in Tanzania, from two (2) to three (3).
Three more public data centres were built and are operational. Bringing the total to four (4).
The NICTBB has been extended to 85 districts. Additionally, its size and capacity have increased 10 times – from 200 gigabytes (Gbps) per second to 2,000.
The period also saw Tanzania pioneering equipment type approval in East, Central and Southern Africa. TCRA has built and operates an equipment-type approval laboratory in Dar es Salaam to verify compliance with safety levels of electromagnetic emissions.
Type approval prevents damage to interconnected networks, ensures effective use of the spectrum and prevents interference with other communications systems. The laboratory was completed on 27 March 2024.
The growth of Tanzania’s communications sector can be traced back to significant investments in infrastructure and technology over the past few years. The government’s commitment to enhancing digital services has led to the construction of new mobile towers and the introduction of advanced communication technologies, such as 5G, which have transformed the landscape of telecommunications in the country. This expansion has not only improved connectivity but also facilitated economic growth by enabling more citizens to access digital services.
Historically, Tanzania has faced challenges in its communications sector, including limited infrastructure and high costs. However, recent policy shifts
