Vodacom Mozambique, one of the country's leading mobile operators, recorded improved operational performance in the fiscal year ended 31 March 2026, with service revenues and financial services income both growing, even as total billing declined 1.5%, according to the operator's annual report.
Service revenues at Vodacom Mozambique grew 3.3% in local currency terms, signalling a more favourable operating trajectory compared with the prior year, according to the financial report cited by Lusa. The operator is part of an international group with operations in Lesotho, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Egypt.
Despite the growth in service revenues, Vodacom Mozambique's total billing fell 1.5%, declining from 20.7 billion meticais (€286.4 million) in the previous fiscal year to 20.4 billion meticais (€277.5 million) in the year ended 31 March 2026.
Moving in the opposite direction, average revenue per user rose to 129 meticais (€1.76) per month as at 31 March 2026, up from 124 meticais (€1.71) in the same period of 2025. At the close of the fiscal year, the operator had 11.6 million customers in Mozambique, keeping the country among the principal markets in the group's international operations.
The operational improvement was accompanied by further network expansion. As of March 2026, 4G population coverage reached 87.1%, slightly above the 87% recorded a year earlier and significantly above the 25.2% achieved in 2020.
Network expansion also extended to remote areas. Vodacom Mozambique successfully completed a proof of concept using low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites in partnership with Starlink, enabling rural mobile base stations to connect in areas lacking fibre optic or conventional microwave links. The company said the initiative accelerates network rollout and enhances resilience.
The financial services business, conducted through its mobile wallet platform, also recorded growth, with billing rising 5.2% in the last fiscal year to the equivalent of 4.3 billion meticais (€73.5 million). At the end of March 2026, the service had 6.4 million customers in Mozambique registered on the M-Pesa mobile wallet.
In the prior fiscal year ended 31 March 2025, Vodacom's management characterised the Mozambique operation as having endured a 'challenging year', attributing the performance to pricing reassessments and post-electoral tensions following the general elections of October 2024. The company indicated at the time that an improvement in the political and economic environment could support a recovery in the following year — a prospect now reflected in the growth of service revenues and improved operational performance.
Vodacom Mozambique has operated in the telecommunications sector since 2003. Its majority shareholder is Vodacom International, which holds an 85% stake, with the remaining 15% held by local partners: Empresa Moçambicana de Telecomunicações with 1.99%, Intelec Holdings with 6.5%, and Whatana Investments with 6.5%.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=530507
