Zimbabwe’s teledensity figure - which measures the number of active mobile SIM cards and landlines in the country - jumped to 78,8% of the population in 2012 from 74,7% the previous year.

This is according to the Post and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, which said the rise in the numbers comes despite complaints from subscribers in the country’s remote areas over poor network reception.

Econet, the largest mobile operator by network coverage and number of subscribers now has 6.5million subscribers.

The country's second largest network operator Telecel boasts 1.8 million active subscribers while NetOne, the state owned operator, trails the trio with some 1.5 million subscribers.

The ministry of information, communication and technology has targeted an annual 10% growth rate in teledensity to the year 2015, which would ensure that almost all Zimbabweans would have telephone or mobile access.