Nationwide 5G rollout gains momentum

TANZANIA: THE deployment of fifthgeneration mobile technology (5G) infrastructure in Tanzania increased by 139 per cent between June 2024 and March 2026, with all regions now having at least three radio base stations supporting the standard, according to an analysis of quarterly sector reports.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) Communications Sector Statistics Report for January-March 2026, released by the TCRA Director General, Engineer Peter Mwasalyanda, shows that every region has at least three 5G base stations.

According to the report, the number of 5G facilities increased from 754 in June 2024 to 1,804 in March 2026. The figure also rose by 44 per cent between December 2025 and March 2026, from 1,255 facilities to 1,804.

The facilities are installed on 10,084 telecommunications towers nationwide, alongside second-generation (2G), thirdgeneration (3G) and fourthgeneration (4G) infrastructure, the report states.

As of March 2026, there were 15,742 2G facilities, 14,521 3G facilities and 15,464 4G facilities. These installations are known as Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) for 2G, Node B for 3G, eNodeB (eNB) for 4G and gNodeB (gNB) for 5G.

Mobile communications infrastructure has evolved to support higher data speeds and greater network capacity. While Node B was the standard for 3G networks, eNB and gNB represent the evolved and next-generation architectures used in 4G and 5G networks respectively.

5G services are now available in four regions that had no such facilities in June 2024. These are Katavi (8 facilities), Lindi (7), Mtwara (6) and North Pemba (3).

Regions recording the highest growth rates in 5G deployment between June 2024 and March 2026 were Zanzibar Urban West (from 37 to 95 facilities, up 157 per cent), Kagera (from one to six, up 500 per cent), Tanga (from one to 14, up 1,300 per cent) and Tabora (from two to 12, up 500 per cent).

Other regions registering strong growth included Ruvuma (from one to eight, up 700 per cent), Iringa (from two to 17, up 750 per cent), South Unguja (from two to eight, up 300 per cent) and Coast Region (from six to 31, up 417 per cent).

Manyara (from one to five, up 400 per cent), Njombe (from two to six, up 200 per cent), Simiyu (from one to five, up 400 per cent), North Unguja (from two to five, up 150 per cent), Mwanza (from 23 to 93, up 304 per cent), South Pemba (from one to four, up 300 per cent) and Rukwa (from one to four, up 300 per cent).

The rollout in other regions included Mbeya (from 15 to 53, up 253 per cent), Morogoro (from nine to 31, up 244 per cent), Shinyanga (from five to 17, up 240 per cent) and Mara (from five to eight, up 60 per cent).

Arusha (from 27 to 51, up 89 per cent), Geita (from six to nine, up 50 per cent), Singida (from three to seven, up 133 per cent), Dodoma (from 41 to 53, up 29 per cent) and Kilimanjaro (from seven to 16, up 129 per cent).

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The nationwide rollout appears to have contributed to a sharp rise in internet data consumption, which more than doubled from 426 petabytes (PB) in June 2024 to 932 PB in March 2026. 5G technology was introduced in Tanzania in 2022.

The standard offers significantly higher data speeds, faster downloads and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously without compromising service quality or user experience.

It also features ultra-low latency, reducing delays in data transmission, and supports Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

These include machineto-machine (M2M) communications, where devices automatically exchange data and perform tasks without human intervention.

The number of M2M SIM cards on Tanzania’s telecommunications networks increased by 22 per cent between June 2024 and March 2026, rising from 969,440 to 1,182,797.