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Tanzania is firmly on course towards financial inclusion, with the number of users of mobile money services increasing remarkably between March and June 2022. The June 2022 telecommunications, broadcasting and postal statistics by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) paint a rosy picture on access, usage and applications.
The number of mobile money accounts, transactions and the value of the transactions have increased significantly. It is estimated that more than one-third (41 per cent) of Tanzanians use mobile money services.
The statistics show that some 37.4 million mobile money accounts were active in Tanzania by June 2022. They made a total of 343.6 million transactions; with a value of about 11.6 trillion shillings. The transactions include sending and receiving money and paying for services and utilities.
| Table 1: Accounts, Transactions, Value of transactions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Quarter 3 (March 2022 | Quarter 4 (June 2022) | |
| Accounts | 36,749,298 | 37,407,233 | |
| Transactions | 330,148,997 | 343.639,879 | |
| Value of Transaction | 10,703,041,422,029 | 11,608,009,983,537 |
The statistics show the trend in data usage and tariffs; with bundled and unbundled data services being the cheapest compared to voice and short messages (SMS).
Date tariffs are determined in megabytes, or MBS. One unbundled MB was sold for eight (8) shillings (TZS) compared to 32 shillings for voice calls on the user’s network (on-net) and another network (off-net). Local SMS were charged eleven shillings. One minute of voice is more expensive than a unit of SMS and data.
International calls continued to cost more than in the previous quarter (March 2022). One minute was 1,888 TZS compared to 1,601 TZS; an 18 per cent increase.
Calling neighbouring countries (East Africa) cost 1,151 TZS a minute; It was slightly cheaper than in the previous quarter when it cost 960 TZS).
The statistics show that people talk and send SMS across networks (off-net) than within their networks (on-net), dispelling the belief that more calls, hence minutes, were made within networks. Details of the average talking time per subscription are presented in table 2.
| Table 2: Average number of minutes per subscription | ||
|---|---|---|
| On-net traffic | Quarter 3 ( March 2022) | Quarter 4 (June 2022) |
| Off-net traffic | 232 | 260 |
| Traffic to East Africa | 237 | 266 |
| Traffic to International | 0.04 | 0.04 |
| 0.06 | 0.13 | |
| TOTAL | 470 | 527 |
The scenario was almost similar for SMS. Users sent more SMS across networks than within their networks. See table 3.
| Table 3: Average number of SMS per subscription | ||
|---|---|---|
| On-net SMS | Quarter 3 (March 2022) | Quarter 4 (June 2022) |
| Off- local SMS | 262 | 280 |
| Off net to East Africa | 357 | 384 |
| Off net to other International | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| 0.01 | 0.2 | |
| TOTAL | 619 | 664 |
The belief that people talk more within networks because of cheaper rates has been dispelled. The fhoice of SIM cards does not necessarily depend on the price of service within or across a network. They are now the same; partly thanks to the current interconnection rate. Consumer now opt for quality of services.
The statistics show that by June 2022, there were 56.2 million active SIM cards; of which 52 per cent are online. The number of registered SIM cards increased by two (2) per cent; from 55.4 million in March 2022 to 56.2 million in June. Telecom and internet penetration - the proportion of subscriptions compared to a country’s population - stood at 92 and 48 per cent respectively.
Telecom and internet penetration between 2019 and June 2022 is shown in the table below.
| Table 4: Penetration for the last three years (2019 -2021). In Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Telecom penetration | Internet penetration |
| 2019 | 88% | 46% |
| 2020 | 89% | 45% |
| 2021 | 9192% | 49% |
| ByJune 2022 | 92% | 48% |
The June 2022 statistics have a breakdown of SIM card registration by regions; with an overall average subscription of 1.9 million per region.
On the postal sector, the statistics show that despite major advances in electronic communications, postal and courier communication still has a share in communications. An average of 783 domestic items are posted daily. Internationally, 1,44 and 1,216 are posted daily to East African countries (EAs) and the Rest of the world (RoW) respectively.
TCRA collects communications statistics from all Communications Service Providers (CSPs); namely, telecommunications, internet, mobile money, broadcasting the national postal operator and courier companies.