Harmonised EAC roaming plan spurs usage

DAR ES SALAAM: VOICE call tariffs from Tanzania to other East African Community (EAC) member states dropped by 61 per cent between April and June 2025, following the implementation of a harmonised regional roaming framework, according to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

TCRA’s April – June 2025 quarterly report shows that average charges for cross-border calls within the EAC fell from 627.80/- per minute in March to 247.52/- in June.

This price reduction led to a sharp increase in usage. Subscribers recorded 156.9 million outgoing voice minutes to EAC countries during the three-month period, a dramatic rise from just 9.1 million minutes in the same quarter of 2021, indicating growing regional connectivity and affordability.

Meanwhile, basic (nonbundle) local tariffs have remained stable since June 2024, with on-net and offnet calls charged at 26/- and 28/- per minute, respectively.

Local SMS are priced at 7.80/- and international SMS at 189.60/-. The average data rate stands at 9.35/- per megabyte (MB).

Between June 2021 and June 2025, basic voice tariffs fell by 21 per cent (from 34/- to current rates), while local SMS charges dropped by 67 per cent, from 13/- to 7.80/-.

Bundle tariffs for on-net voice calls have remained steady at 4.80/- per minute since September 2024, while off-net bundles decreased slightly from 6.07/- in March to 5.96/- in June 2025.

Data bundles cost 2.12/- per MB and SMS bundles are priced the same. From June 2021 to June 2025, voice bundle tariffs fell 73 per cent, from 8.30/- per minute across networks to current rates.

Data bundles rose slightly from 1.61/- per MB in 2021, peaked at 2.17/- and stabilised at 2.12/- by March 2025.

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Total voice usage across networks reached 43.3 billion minutes in the quarter ending June 2025, up from 40.6 billion minutes in the previous quarter.

In terms of mobile technology penetration, the report reveals a 136 per cent mobile phone penetration rate, meaning many Tanzanians own more than one device or SIM card.

This widespread adoption has enabled broader access to advanced mobile technologies including 3G, 4G and 5G.

As of June 2025, 3G coverage reached 94 per cent of the population, 4G coverage reached 75 per cent. Both 3G and 4G networks now cover 75 per cent of the country, according to TCRA.

5G penetration continues to grow, reaching 5.9 per cent of the population in June, up from 3.6 per cent in March 2025 and 15 per cent country coverage, rising to 26 per cent from 23 per cent in March and 15 per cent in June 2024.

5G internet subscriptions rose from 1,185,440 in April to 1,313,013 in June 2025. The next-generation mobile technology was officially launched in Tanzania in 2022.