Maputo, June 23, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique’s three mobile telecoms operators called on Tuesday for innovative solutions, stable prices and a reduction in import duties to encourage greater investment and ensure the provision of services in rural areas, amid accessibility challenges.
“We face an accessibility challenge, but we need innovative solutions (…). To implement these solutions, we need a stable pricing environment that allows for investment,” said Simon Katikari, chief executive of Vodacom, a private mobile phone company in Mozambique.
He was speaking in Maputo on Tuesday at the 5th National Communications Conference, taking part as a panellist in the panel on “Communications Service Tariffs and Market Competition Dynamics”.
He highlighted high prices as one of the challenges facing the communications sector, noting that they undermine the sustainability of companies, particularly mobile operators, and called on the regulator to ensure the balance between affordability and investment.
“We need a pricing framework and discipline that enable sustainable investment. And here, at times, the regulator has an important role, as a referee, to intervene and organise the market, creating the conditions for a sector that is sustainable and attractive to investors,” emphasised Simon Katikari.
He also noted that the authorities had recently authorised infrastructure sharing, including roaming services, amongst telecoms companies, highlighting progress on this front, which he considers important to implement “on a broader and more commercial scale, to reduce costs and improve services”.
According to Katikari, the equipment and devices used by the companies are all imported, making it “unsustainable” to ensure that services are available in the country.
“Costs exceed revenue, or what we are selling is significantly underpriced. When this goes on for a long time, you will see the quality of the network deteriorate; there will be less and less investment in future connectivity and, eventually, the service will also deteriorate,” warned the chief executive, noting that companies may cease operations if the challenges, exacerbated by the fuel crisis, persist.
Meanwhile, the chair of the state-owned company TMCEL, Muhammed Mussa, called for creating conditions to reduce the prices of communications services, aligning wholesale market policies with the national reality.
According to Mussa, roaming network services, which have been in place since May 2026, are helping to expand national coverage, but he considers it important to build on this aspect, alongside strengthening regulatory predictability, implementing “more effective” policies for sustainable digital inclusion, and promoting innovation, which can be based on the quality of demand for digital services.
Francisco Chate, director of the private company Movitel, proposed the creation of a tariff policy to ensure that operators will receive a return in the face of these challenges, whilst also reducing import duties to ensure balance and access to services in remote areas.
“[As for the reforms], I will prioritise remote areas and the reduction of tariffs, not over a very long period, but within a shorter timeframe, so that we can recoup our investment in the medium term, as well as addressing the issue of reducing protection tariffs, particularly within the communications sector,” the Movitel director said.
VIYS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
