5G coverage expands as urban-rural gap persists

DAR ES SALAAM: FIFTH-GENERATION (5G) mobile technology rollout gained momentum in the quarter ended June this year with deployment remaining heavily concentrated in Dar es Salaam, highlighting a persistent urbanrural digital connectivity gap.

Presenting the Communications Sector Performance Report for the quarter on Monday, Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology Angellah Kairuki said 5G population coverage rose to 34.18 per cent in June from 32.83 per cent in March, an increase of 1.35 percentage points. Geographical coverage edged up only marginally, from 11.04 per cent to 11.34 per cent.

The report, which assesses the communications sector and progress towards Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050 and Digital Economy Framework 2024-2034, shows continued investment in network infrastructure.

The number of 5G base stations increased by 8.5 per cent during the quarter to 1,958, with Dar es Salaam accounting for 1,183, or about 60 per cent of the national total.

Ms Kairuki said the concentration of infrastructure in the commercial capital highlights the challenge of extending high-speed connectivity beyond major urban centres as demand for digital services continues to grow.

Ms Kairuki attributed the increase in network coverage to the expansion and distribution of communications infrastructure, particularly the construction of new telecommunications towers.

“These new towers have contributed significantly to expanding mobile services, including third, fourth and fifthgeneration networks,” she said.

She said the expansion of 4G and 5G services was improving internet access through faster data transmission and greater network capacity.

“5G enables a large number of users’ devices to be connected without affecting the speed and quality of services,”Ms Kairuki said.

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Despite the expansion, the government’s immediate priority remains increasing access to 4G services before significantly accelerating 5G deployment.

Kairuki said the government is working towards achieving 100 per cent 5G coverage, while also seeking to achieve full 4G coverage and enable more Tanzanians to use smartphones and benefit from available digital services.

By June 3G population coverage stood at 93.95 per cent, while geographical coverage reached 76.41 per cent. For 4G, population coverage reached 94.39 per cent, with geographical coverage at 77.53 per cent.

The figures show that although mobile networks reach most of the population, geographical coverage remains considerably lower, particularly for 5G.

Meanwhile, the number of internet users increased by 6.48 per cent to 62.79 million in June from 58.97 million in March.

Internet usage grew by 11.65 per cent, while internet penetration reached 89.7 per cent. Further, she said the number of smartphones in use also increased by 5.16 per cent to more than 31.34 million, reflecting sustained demand for mobile internet and digital services.