Zambia's Mobile Sector Revenue Surges 13.9% to K13.2 Billion

Zambia's mobile telecommunications sector recorded significant financial growth in 2025, with revenues rising to K13.2 billion, representing a 13.9 percent increase from K11.5 billion in 2024.

The performance was driven by rising demand for mobile data services, increased adoption of value-added services such as subscription-based entertainment, and expanding usage of mobile money platforms.

Operators also benefited from a surge in bulk SMS traffic, which grew by 24.3 percent to 22.4 billion messages, as businesses and government agencies increasingly relied on SMS for mass communication.

The sector experienced strong subscription growth, with active mobile users reaching 26.2 million in 2025, up from 23.2 million the previous year. Mobile penetration rose to 127.4 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Average revenue per user increased by 12.4 percent to K501.58 by the end of 2025, reflecting growing usage of bundled services and a shift toward higher-value digital offerings.

Investment in infrastructure increased, with the total number of telecommunications sites growing by 8.8 percent to 15,802. Notably, 5G sites recorded a sharp expansion of 86.4 percent.

The ICT sector contributed 2.5 percentage points to Zambia's overall 3.6 percent GDP growth in the third quarter of 2025.