Maputo, June 19, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique plans to sign partnerships to roll out fifth-generation (5G) mobile network technology in urban centres and rural areas by 2030, at the fifth communications conference, which will be attended by over 300 participants and global companies from the sector.
“At this conference, what will essentially have an impact on telecoms service subscribers is that we are going to draw up a plan for the roll-out of 5G technology, which will begin in the major urban centres, but rural areas must not be left out. It is important that we draw up a plan for rural areas,” said Salomão David, spokesperson for the event, which aims to discuss the future of the communications sector and its role in the country’s digital transformation, at a press conference.
The 5th National Communications Conference, organised by the Mozambican Communications Regulatory Authority (INCM), will take place on 22 and 23 June in Maputo, under the theme “Communications as a pillar of Digital Transformation in Mozambique: Connectivity, Inclusion and Resilience”, as announced by Salomão David, who anticipates the creation of bilateral partnerships.
According to him, the event will bring together more than 300 participants, including policy-makers, regulators, operators, academics, representatives of civil society, and national and international partners, amongst whom are 62 speakers and global companies from the communications and technology sector.
“Essentially, these are bilateral agreements, the allocation of next-generation licences (…). And they are not merely financial agreements; quite the contrary, they are good news for the telecommunications system in Mozambique,” said Salomão David.
Mozambique’s three mobile operators – the state-owned Tmcel, Vodacom Mozambique and Movitel – took part in the auction to roll out the fifth-generation (5G) mobile network, with a view to accelerating digitalisation of the economy and promoting new digital services and applications, the regulator announced in April.
According to a statement released by the INCM at the time, the bids are for the allocation of frequencies in the 700 MHz, 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands, which are considered essential to ensure an efficient balance between territorial coverage, network capacity and quality of service – fundamental pillars for the development of fifth-generation mobile networks.
The communications conference will run in parallel with Digital Week and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation’s (CTO) Ministerial Alliance for Digital Nations, initiatives which, according to him, lend “greater international significance to the event and broaden the debate on building 21st-century digital governments”.
Among the various topics to be discussed at the event are digitalisation, connectivity and innovation, communication service tariffs and market competition dynamics, as well as the fight against fraud, service interoperability and digital identity.
Salomão David also hopes to see solutions for the roll-out of 4G technology in rural areas, villages and some remote areas of the country – technology already in use in urban centres – whilst acknowledging the challenges that arise with the expansion of such technologies.
Mozambique currently has 82% coverage in terms of telecommunications services, as indicated by the spokesperson for the fifth conference, with the aim of achieving at least 96% coverage across the country by 2030.
“We will have to seek and find ways to identify and map these areas, and also use our universal access service fund to ensure that these places also have coverage. The aim is that, following this year’s fifth conference, no one will be left out of the telecommunications system,” added Salomão David.
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