Mobile phone users drop by 24,010

Rwanda’s telecom sector has slumped by 0.05 per cent equivalent to 24,010 mobile subscribers, between December, last year, and February this year, latest figures from the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA) indicate. The country’s total mobile users dropped from 4,446,194 as of end of December to 4,422,181 to the month ending February.According to statistics from the sector regulator, MTN Rwanda, the country’s leading mobile operator, lost about 17,105 mobile users between December 2011 and the end of February, this year, from 2,892,827 to 2,875,722 in February.TIGO Rwanda lost 6,908 mobile subscribers figures show. The subsidiary of Luxembourg based Millicom International Cellular, registered 1,546,459 in February, this year, compared to 1,553,367 mobile users by the end of December last year.Head of Communication at RURA, Jean Baptist Mutabazi shed light on the reasons behind the slump.“First, the drop was caused by the Diaspora that was in the country for long holidays and went back after the festive season. Secondly, there are students who were in long vacations for the last three months ending December and they are not allowed to use mobile phones at schools,” Mutabazi explained.RURA statistics also indicate that the country’s Mobile Penetration Rate dropped to 41.3 per cent in the second month of this year, from 41.86 per cent as of December last year. A recent report published by the sector regulator also indicates that MTN Rwanda has gradually been losing ground to its rival TIGO Rwanda.As of June last year, MTN Rwanda had a 71 per cent market share, while TIGO Rwanda had 29 per cent. In September the same year, MTN’s market share, further dropped to 67 per cent, while TIGO’s increased to 33 per cent.In December, TIGO’s market share rose to 35 per cent while MTN’s share fell to 65 per cent.The news comes hot on the heels of Bharti Airtel’s launch in the country, last week, bolstering the telecom giant’s footprint in the region.The company is expected to claim a substantial market share from its rivals, MTN and TIGO, and create competition in the already fierce local telecom sector. The Indian operator has pledged to invest $100m over the next three years, taking its reach in Africa to 17 markets.

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Mobile phone users drop by 24,010