Maputo, Sept. 16, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique's telecom operator, Tmcel, ended 2025 with 1.79 million mobile customers and a national network of 1,303 base stations, according to documentation available before the government's decision to bring in a strategic partner.
The technical information Lusa had access to paints a picture of an operator with nationwide coverage and infrastructure that has undergone an extensive modernisation programme in recent years, against a backdrop in which the government is seeking a new investor to strengthen the company.
The documents show that the active mobile customer base increased by 62.1% in 2025 to 1,791,905 users, while the number of fixed-line connections fell by 20% to 15,537.
The operator's mobile infrastructure is based on 1,303 masts (sites) distributed across the country, supported by 1,193 base stations using 2G technology, 1,303 using 3G technology and 724 using 4G/LTE technology.
The company states that the network was «designed and implemented to prioritise 4G data services, thereby taking on a central role in the provision of mobile broadband, supporting video applications and all IP services».
According to the same documentation, «traditional voice services continue to be provided via 2G/3G technologies» and this strategic configuration «enables Tmcel to retain its customer base that still uses 2G/3G, whilst paving the way for a gradual migration to more advanced technologies, such as 5G».
Maputo Province accounts for most of the operator's fourth-generation infrastructure, with 189 4G base stations, while the city of Maputo has a further 152. Across the country, the company has 447 4G base stations, compared with 157 in the central region and 120 in the northern region.
The documents also indicate that the company has completed the modernisation or activation of 1,298 antennas as part of the network expansion and modernisation programme carried out in recent years.
On transport, Tmcel states that it has significantly modernised its network by introducing OTN-based equipment, enabling «greater capacity, efficiency and reliability in traffic transport».
The infrastructure also comprises around 6,500 kilometres of fibre-optic ‘backbone' and approximately 4,500 kilometres of access fibre. The company describes this network as constituting «the backbone of the national telecommunications network», interconnecting all provincial capitals, major cities and towns in the ‘hinterland'.
According to the documents made available to potential investors, «Tmcel's network coverage spans the entire national territory», including provinces, districts, administrative posts, special economic zones, industrial development hubs, road and rail logistics corridors, and tourist areas.
The operator provides fixed and mobile telephony services, internet access, fixed and mobile broadband, private networks and transmission capacity for domestic and international use, employing 1,225 staff in 2026.
The sector indicators in the documentation show that Tmcel accounted for 8% of active telecoms subscribers in Mozambique in 2024, in a market led by Vodacom with 50% (8,589,615 users) and Movitel with around 42% (7,156,826 users). The report states that mobile operators generate 84% of telecoms sector revenue.
Mozambique's government has instructed the team responsible for negotiating the partial sale of the state's shares in Tmcel to submit, by 1 January 2027, a proposal identifying the selected strategic partner and the terms of the transaction.
The government has identified several interested parties, including Axian Telecom, a pan-African telecommunications group based in Mauritius; a consortium comprising Optimum Systems W.L.L. and Meridian Ventures Investment FZCO; and Aikun Solutions DMCC, based in Dubai.
The state directly holds 66% of the company's share capital, whilst the Institute for the Management of State Holdings (Igepe) controls 26%.
PVJ/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
