The number of mobile internet users in Zambia has increased significantly from 5.2 million to 7.1 million in less than a year.

According to latest statistics from the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), mobile internet users have grown to 7, 148, 325, representing a penetration rate of 79.07%.

In May last year, the number of mobile internet users in Zambia dropped from 6.1 million to 5.2 million reportedly due to the high cost of data services, among other reasons.

The southern Africa country has also seen an increase in the number of mobile phone subscription from 12 million to approximately 13 million.

Brian Mushimba, the Minister of Transport and Communication, has attributed the growth in the number mobile internet users to affordable data services.

All the three mobile phone service providers in the country MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia and Zamtel have reduced the cost of their data bundles by over 70% as a result of stiff competition in the provision of data services.

However the operators claim they have reduced the cost of data services because they have managed to increase data penetration thereby increasing the number of data customers.

Customers in Zambia can now buy 5GB data bundles for K100, which previously would have only purchased less than 2GB of data bundles.

"This is what we have been pushing for as government and we know it is as a result of competition among operators and internet service providers that has caused this reduction. With the coming of the fourth mobile phone operator, we are sure there will be further reductions," Mushimba said.