Data traffic jumps 11.27%
CLOUDINE MATOLA
Zimbabwe’s telecommunications sector is accelerating its transition towards data-driven services, with internet traffic surging in the final quarter of 2025, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has said.
In its fourth-quarter (Q4) sector performance report, POTRAZ revealed that internet/data traffic rose by 11.27% quarter-on-quarter to 160.33 petabytes (PB), up from 144.09PB recorded in the third quarter.
The growth was broad-based, with all mobile network operators registering gains except Telecel, as demand for data-intensive applications strengthened alongside continued investment in next-generation infrastructure. During the period, 5G base station deployments increased by 14.73%, underpinning higher data consumption.
“Mobile network operators collectively recorded a significant quarter-on-quarter increase in internet/data traffic, surging by 11.27% from 144.09PB to 160.33PB in the quarter under review,” POTRAZ said.
The regulator noted that the sustained increase in traffic reflects a structural shift in consumer behaviour, as Zimbabwe aligns with global trends towards heavier data usage.
“This robust growth continues to indicate a powerful and potentially accelerated shift towards more data-intensive consumption habits,” POTRAZ said, adding that the expansion of high-speed networks and uptake of bandwidth-heavy applications are key drivers.
Zimbabwe’s trajectory mirrors global patterns, where rising smartphone penetration and digital services are fuelling exponential growth in internet usage.
On the voice side, total mobile traffic also recorded a solid increase, rising by 9.04% to 5.07 billion minutes in Q4, from 4.65 billion minutes in the previous quarter.
The growth was largely driven by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, which posted an 11.09% increase in voice traffic to 4.48 billion minutes. In contrast, NetOne registered a 4.30% decline, while Telecel Zimbabwe recorded a sharper contraction of 23.91%.
POTRAZ attributed the overall rise in voice traffic to increased uptake of bundled offerings, which continue to drive both on-net and off-net calling.
“The robust increase in total mobile traffic is primarily driven by significant growth in on-net and interconnect traffic, which rose by 9.68% and 6.49% respectively,” the regulator said.
It added that the surge was further supported by a spike in inbound roaming traffic during the holiday season, which offset declines in international call volumes as more foreign visitors connected to local networks using their home SIM cards.
The combined growth in both data and voice segments underscores a sector in transition,where digital connectivity is fast becoming the backbone of communication, commerce, and consumer behaviour in Zimbabwe.
