Internet
Internet penetration in Tanzania reached 85.3% at the end of 2025, surpassing the Government's 80% target and supported by 58.1 million internet subscriptions.[7]
Tanzania is connected to 11 international submarine cable systems, including SEACOM, EASSy, and 2Africa, landing at Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, and feeding the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB) for domestic distribution.
Data traffic climbed to 808 petabytes in Q4 2025, up from 617 petabytes in Q4 2024, while internet subscriptions rose from 48.0 million in 2024 to 58.1 million in 2025.
Rapid uptake of internet services and mobile money transfers also more than doubled foreign direct investment inflows into information and communication activities, which reached USD 198 million in 2023.[3]
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Internet Market Size and Penetration in 2025
Internet penetration surpassed the Government's target of 80% by end of 2025, reaching 85.3%, driven by infrastructure deployment supporting advanced mobile communication technology.[7]
Internet subscriptions reached 58.1 million at year-end 2025, up from 48.0 million in 2024.
Data traffic increased to 808 petabytes in Q4 2025, from 617 petabytes in Q4 2024.
Mobile broadband remained the most widely used internet access mode, accounting for 56% of total internet subscriptions.
Smartphone penetration reached 41.82%, while feature phone penetration reached 87.11%, underpinning continued demand for mobile data services.
Internet Access Composition and Quality
At the end of 2025, the average internet download speed was 27.9 Mbps, upload speed 21.0 Mbps, and latency 16.6 ms.
Mobile broadband dominates the market, delivered by five mobile operators providing person-to-person services across 106,823,601 SIM subscriptions.
The number of telecom towers increased to 10,029 by end of 2025, alongside an increase in 5G population coverage.
ICT Sector Growth and Contribution to GDP
The Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector was estimated at TZS 3.2 trillion in 2024, contributing 1.6% to Tanzania's GDP in the first nine months of 2025.[2]
The sector displayed a growth rate of 10.4% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Growth was attributed to increases in voice traffic per minute, SMS traffic, mobile money subscribers, and the expansion of broadcasting and internet services.[4]
Total telecom subscriptions reached 106.9 million at the end of 2025, up 23.2% from 86.8 million at the end of 2024, translating into a telecom penetration rate of 156.9%.[5][6]
Mobile subscriptions (SIM) accounted for 99.9% of all subscriptions.
Internet Backbone and Submarine Cable Infrastructure
Tanzania is connected to 11 international submarine cable systems, including SEACOM, EASSy, and 2Africa, via Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.
These international cables feed into the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), which will consist of 16,280 km of fiber optic cable connecting all regions and districts.
As of 2025, about 13,820 km have been completed, connecting all 31 mainland regions, 109 out of 139 districts, and Zanzibar to the Backbone.[1]
The Government plans to connect an additional 11 districts during the 2025/26 financial year.
The network also provides cross-border connectivity to Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, and procedures have begun to extend the Backbone to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) integrates advanced fiber-optic cables that can increase the capacity of local operators, supporting wider and faster internet connectivity in both Uganda and Tanzania.
Major Internet Infrastructure Projects
Priority projects include extending the National Trunk to the Democratic Republic of Congo through Lake Tanganyika to Kalemie.
The Kilimanjaro One Submarine Cable System (KO-SCS) is a new submarine trunk under construction connecting Dar es Salaam and Mauritius.
The Pan-African Green AI and Robotics Data Center project is expected to be Africa's first sustainable artificial intelligence and robotics research and development facility.
Together with the EACOP fiber-optic integration and the ongoing NICTBB district rollout, these projects position Tanzania as a regional digital connectivity hub for East and Southern Africa.
FDI Inflows into Internet and Communication Activities
Foreign direct investment inflows into information and communication more than doubled to USD 198 million in 2023, driven by the growing demand for internet services and mobile money transfers.[3]
Information and communication was among the top FDI-receiving activities alongside mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and finance and insurance, together contributing 82.4% of total FDI in 2023.
It was also among the top five fastest-growing economic activities during the year.
Policy and Regulatory Framework for Internet Services
The National Telecommunications Policy of 1997 established the framework for sector reforms and private sector participation, partially liberalizing telecommunications with competition expanding across mobile cellular services, radio paging, internet services, and data communications services.
A new National ICT Policy formulated in 2003 provided the framework for transforming Tanzania into a knowledge-based society through the application of information and communication technologies.
The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) was established in 2003 as the independent regulator responsible for licensing and regulating postal, broadcasting, and communications industries.
In 2005, Tanzania introduced the Converged Licensing Framework (CLF), a technology- and service-neutral system that enables operators to provide multiple communication services under a single framework, increasing the sector's attractiveness to foreign and domestic capital.
Universal internet access is identified as a critical enabler within Tanzania's long-term development vision, alongside improved health, education, and gender equality initiatives.
Internet Investment Opportunities
Investment is open in licensed telecommunications activities, including private network links via cable, radio, or satellite, public mobile communication systems, and community telecommunications services across rural and urban areas.
Value-added network and data services, such as internet access, voicemail, and email, offer strong prospects alongside the sale, installation, repair, and maintenance of terminal equipment.
Cabling services covering internal and external wiring for residential, commercial, and office buildings remain open to investors.
Priority areas in innovation and emerging technologies include hubs supporting artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and 5G.
Additional targets feature a cybersecurity research facility, national embedded systems laboratories for robotics and AI applications, and technology parks in Mbweni, Bagamoyo, and Kwala to host tech firms and business process outsourcing operations.
Sector-specific digital solutions in the priority investment pipeline include integrated e-commerce and fintech platforms supported by a national payments gateway, telemedicine networks linking rural health facilities, digital tourism platforms, and ICT-enabled agricultural training centers.
Social inclusion investments target accessible digital services and devices for persons with disabilities, alongside the establishment of ward-level ICT community centers.
Last Update: May 2026
References
- https://www.mawasiliano.go.tz/uploads/documents/sw-1747383343-SUMMARY_HOTUBA_YA_BAJETI_2025-26_FINAL[1].pdf (Guide reference #33)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Quarterly%20statistical%20Bulletin/en/2026022607540099.pdf (Guide reference #46)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Other/Tanzania%20Investment/en/2025022811524146.pdf (Guide reference #51)
- https://www.nbs.go.tz/uploads/statistics/documents/en-1769069714-Highlights%20on%20the%20Third%20Quarter%20GDP%202025.pdf (Guide reference #162)
- https://www.tcra.go.tz/uploads/text-editor/files/Communication%20Statistics%20report%20for%20quarter%20two%20ending%20December%202025_1769162789.pdf (Guide reference #163)
- https://www.tcra.go.tz/uploads/text-editor/files/Communication%20Statistics%20Report%20-%20December%202024_1736975031.pdf (Guide reference #164)
- https://www.tcra.go.tz/uploads/documents/en-1764071257-The%20Regulator%20September%202025%20EN.pdf (Guide reference #165)
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