P2P leads in Tanzania as SIM card registrations hit 92.7 million

Dar es Salaam. The number of registered SIM cards in Tanzania rose to 92.7 million in the quarter ending June 2025, up from 90.4 million in March 2025, representing a 2.6 percent increase, according to the latest Communications Statistics report.

The report, released by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), indicates that the figures cover both mobile and landline SIMs used at least once within the past three months, encompassing person-to-person (P2P) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.

Out of the total, 92,656,179 were mobile phone lines, while landlines accounted for 79,619.

The majority, 91.7 million lines, were for P2P communication, up from 89.3 million in the previous quarter.

This marks a net increase of 2.3 million active mobile and landline P2P lines within three months.

Vodacom Tanzania Plc retained its top position with 29,181,157 registered P2P SIM cards. It was followed by Yas with 25,987,528 lines, Airtel (20,437,692), Halotel (14,363,854), and TTCL (1,682,212).

In the M2M segment, which includes SIMs used in devices and automated systems, the number of registered lines increased by 33,078 during the same quarter.

Vodacom again led this category with 588,048 M2M SIM cards, followed by Airtel (350,749), Halotel (78,687), Yas (61,370), and TTCL (4,501).

In terms of overall market share, Vodacom commanded 32.1 percent of all registered SIM cards, followed by Yas with 28.1 percent and Airtel at 22.4 percent, consolidating their positions as Tanzania’s top three telecom service providers.

Gender-wise, the report shows that more men (47,109,356) than women (44,543,087) owned P2P lines, reflecting a continued gender gap in mobile phone ownership.

Regionally, Dar es Salaam continued to register the highest number of active SIM cards, with 17.07 million lines.

Mwanza followed with 6.14 million, Arusha had 5.58 million, Mbeya stood at 5.34 million, and Dodoma rounded off the top five with 4.95 million lines.

Year-on-year growth trends illustrate a steady rise in mobile penetration across the country.

The total number of registered SIM cards grew from 51.3 million in 2020 to 54.1 million in 2021, 60.3 million in 2022, 70.3 million in 2023, and 86.8 million in 2024.

This upward trajectory also pushed the SIM penetration rate from 81 percent in 2020 to 133.5 percent in 2024, indicating that many individuals now possess multiple SIM cards.

The continued expansion reflects growing demand for mobile communication services, increased access to smartphones, and broader adoption of digital platforms across sectors ranging from commerce to education.