TZ internet users utilises only 15 pc of available capacity

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA internet users utilised only 15 per cent of the available capacity as of September this year.

However, the country has exceeded its internet usage target ahead of schedule, with national penetration reaching 82.6 per cent by September this year, surpassing the government’s goal of 80 per cent by the end of next year.

At the same time, data processing speeds have tripled in just four years, according to the latest communications statistics.

The July–September 2025 quarterly report by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), released by Director General Dr Jabiri Bakari, indicates that there were 56,322,287 internet subscriptions as of September, representing an 82.6 per cent penetration rate.

An analysis of the report shows a 94 per cent increase from March 2021, when subscriptions stood at 29,071,817 and a 4 per cent rise from June 2025.

Internet service penetration has grown steadily from 49 per cent in March 2021 to 72 per cent in March 2025, before reaching 82.6 per cent in September, thus exceeding the government’s target by 2.6 percentage points.

The report also reveals a 167 per cent increase in monthly data usage between September 2023 and September 2025, jumping from 92 to 246 petabytes. Data usage rose 17 per cent compared to June 2025. (A petabyte, or PB, is a unit of data measurement equivalent to about one million gigabytes.).

More than 99 per cent of internet users in Tanzania access the service via mobile devices. Fibre-based technologies, including Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and Fiber to the Office (FTTO), recorded 106,166 and 15,671 subscriptions respectively in September 2025.

Upload speeds have also seen major improvements, increasing 290 per cent between March 2021 and September this year from an average of 6.6 megabits per second (Mbps) to 26 Mbps and rising 50 per cent since June this year.

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Activated internet capacity expanded by 267 per cent between September 2023 and September this year, from 1,040 to 2,649 gigabits per second (Gbps).

However, the report notes that Tanzanian users utilised only 15 per cent of the available internet capacity as of September.

The country’s total owned and activated capacity currently stands at 17,590 Gbps, of which 2,649 Gbps is in active use, leaving 14,941 Gbps yet to be utilised.

Tanzania is implementing a digital economy programme aimed at mainstreaming digital services across all sectors. Over the past four years, the country has transformed its information and communications technology (ICT) landscape through the expansion of infrastructure in remote and underserved areas and the adoption of advanced technologies.

The TCRA report reflects significant growth in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, highlighting broader service coverage and inclusivity. It also captures challenges and progress within the postal sector.