Mozambique’s Communications Regulatory Authority (INCM) conducted nationwide drive tests between March and December 2023 to evaluate the quality of mobile services. These tests, performed using standardized equipment, covered the South, Center, and North regions of the country. The assessments focused on voice and data services provided by the three mobile operators—Tmcel, Movitel, and Vodacom—using 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies. Testing took place in 31 geographic areas, including cities, districts, and tourism zones, with an emphasis on commercial, residential, and leisure zones.
The results revealed significant geographic variations in service quality. In terms of voice services, Tmcel had the highest rate of non-compliance at 66%, followed by Movitel at 54% and Vodacom at 53%. For data services, Movitel recorded the highest non-compliance rate at 74%, while Tmcel and Vodacom had rates of 25% and 6%, respectively. Coverage issues were most prevalent with Tmcel (50%), compared to Vodacom (32%) and Movitel (27%).
Call accessibility results varied across operators. In urban areas, success rates averaged 90.54% for Tmcel, 93.57% for Vodacom, and 95.55% for Movitel, with call setup times ranging from 8 to 10 seconds. Call retention rates showed dropped calls below the 2% target, with Movitel at 0.25%, Vodacom at 0.64%, and Tmcel at 1.07%.
Data performance also highlighted differences among operators. In capital cities, Vodacom delivered the best average download speeds, achieving 4.55 Mbps on 3G and 21.29 Mbps on 4G, exceeding the recommended benchmarks. Tmcel followed with 3.79 Mbps (3G) and 11.58 Mbps (4G), while Movitel lagged with 2.10 Mbps (3G) and 8.64 Mbps (4G).
Network coverage assessments showed that 2G remains the most widespread, though 3G and 4G networks are concentrated in urban centers. For 2G, Movitel complied in 65% of tested locations, Tmcel in 52%, and Vodacom in 42%. On 3G, Vodacom led with 81% compliance, followed by Movitel at 71% and Tmcel at 42%. For 4G, Vodacom achieved 77%, Movitel 71%, and Tmcel 55%.