The key markets in the sector remain largely controlled by single players, which will pose a concern to potential investors. However, the increased usage across the board experienced in 2018 might offer food for thought as the Information Technology age takes shape in Zimbabwe.
The headline disclosures for the fourth quarter featured a 9.8% rise in fixed telephone revenues to $38 million despite a 3.3% decline in fixed voice traffic. The annual growth in subscriptions was 1.8% to 268,849 while annual revenues grew 16.2% to $135 million. As a sign of the increasingly internet-centric country, data overtook voice as the major revenue contributor during 2018. It accounted for 44.5% of the revenues versus 38.1% of voice after increasing its share by 7.7%.
The consumer breakdown for the fixed line sector is inclined to residential users, who constitute 60% against 40% from corporates. During the quarter subscriptions from corporates declined 0.2% to 106,855. The decline is attributable to increased competition from voice over internet providers (VOIP) which are cheaper and increasingly preferred by corporates.