According to research by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, mobile operators contribute the greatest amount of revenue to the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe.
The number of fixed lines remained stagnant at 390,000 over the period, as the country’s incumbent, TelOne, struggled to get the resources to maintain its network.
The Zimbabwean mobile market earned $372.2 million in revenues in 2009 and is estimated to grow to $1,343.7 million by 2016, equating to 20.1% CAGR. The growth rate between 2008 and 2009 was higher at 40.6% but this is expected as the market begins to saturate. A main driver of growth in Zimbabwe’s mobile communications market is the unfulfilled demand for voice compared to the increasing demand for data services.
High unemployment rates mean that end-user spending on communications services must compete with spending on basic necessities.
