Traffic Data Shows Starlink, Fiber Catching Zim’s Internet Giant

By ETimes

HARARE – THE hegemony of the traditional leader, Liquid, is being challenged not by direct peers, but by a satellite disruptor (Starlink) and a resurgent fibre player (African Fibre Networks).

The staggering growth rates of these two operators, juxtaposed with the declines or single-digit growth of others, highlight a sector where technological innovation and strategic scaling are rapidly altering competitive hierarchies.

In a third quarter 2025 report, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) reported a significant quarterly increase in data volumes carried over fixed networks.

“The sector saw a robust growth in fixed Internet/data traffic of 18.39% from 372.4 Petabytes (PB) to 440.9 PB in the quarter under review,” reads the report.

“Notably African Fibre Networks, formerly DFA recorded a staggering 443.37% increase in its Internet/data traffic from 1.43 Petabytes (PB) in the second quarter, to 7.74 PB in the third quarter of 2025.”

The analysis of operator-level data paints a picture of a market in flux.

Liquid Intelligent Technologies maintained its position as the dominant force, carrying 259.7 PB of traffic and holding a 58.90% market share.

However, its quarterly growth of 11.69%, while solid, was significantly outpaced by newer and more agile competitors.

The most pronounced disruption continues to come from Starlink, which solidified its role as a major player.

The operator’s traffic surged by 40.37% from 83.94 PB to 117.83 PB, elevating its market share to 26.73%.

This explosive growth, as noted in the report, is directly linked to consumer adoption. Starlink’s performance indicates a successful capture of demand in underserved areas and from users seeking alternatives to terrestrial networks.

Source: Potraz

Meanwhile, the most extraordinary performance came from African Fibre Networks (formerly DFA), which underwent a transformation in its data volumes. This leap, while from a smaller base, propelled its market share to 1.76% and signals a potentially major scaling of its network operations or the onboarding of large, data-intensive clients.

Accordingly, the state-owned incumbent, TelOne, exhibited stable but modest growth in line with its established infrastructure base. Its traffic increased by 8.50% to 33.62 PB, maintaining a 7.63% market share.

This steady performance reflects its role as a consistent, though not rapidly expanding, provider in the fixed-line space.

Conversely, telecontract experienced a significant decline, with its data traffic falling by 17.47% from 12.12 PB to 10.00 PB. This contraction caused its market share to drop to 2.27%, indicating it may be losing ground in an increasingly competitive environment.

In contrast, Africom and Dandemutande posted moderate gains of 5.69% and 4.65%, respectively, allowing them to hold their niche positions with market shares of 1.08% and 1.64%.