Internet and data traffic in Zimbabwe increased by 57.28% in the first quarter of 2026, driven by accelerated LTE and 5G deployment, increased smartphone adoption and greater use of data-intensive applications, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).
POTRAZ said “accelerated infrastructure deployment, particularly LTE and next-generation 5G footprints, increased smartphone adoption and increased use of embedded data-hungry applications” are driving internet use.
Econet, the market leader in Zimbabwe, has been rolling out 5G connectivity sites, while NetOne is also expanding. During the quarter, Zimbabwean telcos added 13 new 5G base stations, bringing the total to 379.
After the new deployments, 18.94% of Zimbabwe’s population, particularly in urban areas, is now covered by a 5G network.
The Zimbabwean telcos also deployed 161 more LTE sites.
WhatsApp continued to be the most-used platform for mobile internet in Zimbabwe, followed by YouTube, Facebook and X.
Other use cases, including general data usage outside social media, as well as data-intensive activities such as TikTok, Instagram and Netflix, have also been growing in popularity, with high-definition video streaming and pre-loading contributing to increased data usage.
“Mobile Internet/data services continued as the biggest revenue contributor for the Mobile Network Operators, to the tune of 46.34% in the quarter under review.
“This is attributed to the growing prominence of WhatsApp and other data-hungry video streaming applications like YouTube and TikTok,” POTRAZ said in its quarterly report.
POTRAZ expects mobile operators to accelerate the deployment of high-capacity infrastructure, specifically rolling out LTE and 5G base stations and expanding fibre networks.
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