Zamtel

What Zamtel does

Zamtel, legally Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited, is a state-owned telecommunications operator incorporated under the Companies Act of Zambia and headquartered in Lusaka. The company provides mobile voice and data services across Zambia over a 4G/LTE network with over 150 upgraded sites, supported by international roaming through 409 partner networks in 166+ countries. Its consumer portfolio spans prepaid/postpaid voice plans, mobile data bundles (100MB to 35GB), Home Fibre tiers (5–20Mbps), and three sub-brands: Zamtel Money for mobile financial services (transfers, bill payments, savings, and micro-loans), Velocity for premium fibre and router packages, and Come Home for number customization.

The enterprise division delivers managed connectivity and ICT services including MPLS/VPN, Dedicated Internet Access, Closed User Group plans, SIP Trunking, Private APN, Fleet Management with GPS tracking, Data Centre colocation, Bulk SMS, Short Codes, Cloud Hosting, and ICT Infrastructure Solutions, plus Global MPLS via Tier 1 partners and submarine cable landing stations. The My Zamtel mobile app (iOS/Android), USSD codes (*117# for data, *115# for Zamtel Money), and a self-service business portal support customer operations, while a Zamtel Money agent network distributes mobile financial services. A Bulk SMS API exposes messaging programmatically to enterprise and SME customers.

Zamtel generates revenue through subscription-based mobile voice and data plans, usage-based mobile data bundles, monthly home fibre subscriptions, transaction fees on Zamtel Money, subscription-based enterprise connectivity contracts, managed services revenue (data center colocation, fleet management), and bulk SMS/ICT infrastructure sales. Distribution spans 40+ retail stores across Zambia's major cities and smaller towns, direct-to-consumer digital channels, enterprise field sales through dedicated account managers, and channel partners via the Zamtel Money agent network. Customer segmentation is horizontal, serving individual consumers, Zamtel Money users, enterprise business, SMEs, and targeted education and healthcare verticals.

Name

Zamtel

Legal name

Zambia Telecommunications Company Limited

Website

https://zamtel.zm

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Zamtel is Zambia's state-owned telecommunications operator providing mobile voice and data, Zamtel Money mobile financial services, fibre internet, and enterprise connectivity solutions including MPLS/VPN, DIA, fleet management, and bulk SMS to consumers, SMEs, and enterprises across Zambia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Mobile Network Operators (Retail MNOs) (HDAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Carrier Billing & Telco Mobile Money (FSAMAEAD)

Keywords

• Mobile telecommunications services
• Mobile money services
• Enterprise connectivity solutions
• Fibre internet services
• Mobile data bundles

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Mobile Voice and Data Services: Recurring revenue from mobile voice calls, SMS, and data bundle subscriptions across prepaid and postpaid plans. Revenue from various data bundles ranging from daily to annual validity periods.
2. Data Bundles: Usage-based revenue from mobile data packages. Pricing varies by volume (MB/GB) and validity period. Includes night-time data offers and time-restricted bundles.
3. Home Fibre Internet: Monthly subscription revenue for fibre internet packages with speeds from 5Mbps to 20Mbps. Annual contracts with tiered pricing.
4. Zamtel Money Mobile Financial Services: Transaction fees from mobile wallet services including cash-in, cash-out, bill payments, airtime purchases, bank transfers, and international remittances. Commission earned by agents.
5. Enterprise Connectivity: Managed services revenue from MPLS-VPN, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Closed User Group (CUG), and SIP Trunking for business customers.
6. Bulk SMS and Messaging: Revenue from mass SMS campaigns, short codes, cloud hosting, and ICT infrastructure solutions for enterprise customers.
7. Data Center and Fleet Management: Colocation services for tower and data center, and fleet management solutions with real-time GPS tracking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zamtel is Zambia's state-owned telecommunications company that provides mobile voice and data services, fibre internet, mobile financial services (Zamtel Money), and enterprise connectivity solutions. Its offerings span consumer prepaid/postpaid mobile plans, data bundles, international roaming, home fibre, and Zamtel Money wallet/agent services, alongside enterprise solutions including MPLS/VPN, Dedicated Internet Access, Fleet Management, Bulk SMS, and Data Centre colocation. The company distributes through a nationwide retail store network, mobile app, USSD, and an agent network.

Product overview

Zamtel is Zambia's leading telecommunications company offering a comprehensive portfolio of voice, data, and digital services. The product architecture consists of a unified core telecommunications platform supporting consumer mobile services (voice, data bundles, international roaming) alongside specialized sub-brands. Zamtel Money serves as the mobile financial services arm providing payments, transfers, loans, and agent banking. The enterprise division offers business solutions including MPLS/VPN, Dedicated Internet Access, Fleet Management, Private APN, Bulk SMS, and ICT Infrastructure. The Velocity brand targets premium internet customers with fibre services. Key products interconnect through shared infrastructure: consumer data bundles flow through the same 4G/LTE network that powers enterprise DIA; Zamtel Money integrates with the Self Service Portal for business customers; and the My Zamtel App provides unified access across consumer and business services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zamtel Money: Mobile financial services platform for secure, fast, and reliable money transfers, payments, savings, and international money transfers.
• Velocity
• Come Home

Products and services

• Zamtel Money Mobile financial services platform enabling send/receive money, bank transfers, international transfers, bill payments, agent cash-in/cash-out, savings, and micro-loans for consumers and SMEs in Zambia.
• Mobile Data Bundles Affordable mobile data packages ranging from 100MB to 35GB with validity from 3 hours to 12 months, available via USSD *117# and My Zamtel App for individual consumers.
• Unlimited Chillz Daily, weekly, and weekend unlimited data plans offering unrestricted internet access for consumers.
• Vibez Youth-focused product with affordable data bundles, social media add-ons, voice bundles with free night calling, and educational bundles accessible via USSD *117#, *115#, and My Zamtel App.
• Ni Yathu Flexible voice packages for calls within Zamtel and to other networks, supporting multiple active packages for consumer convenience.
• Voice and Data Tariffs Standard voice and data pricing plans for local and international communications for individual and business customers.
• Home Fibre High-speed fibre internet connectivity for homes and organizations, available in 5Mbps (ZMW 749/month), 10Mbps (ZMW 1,499/month), 15Mbps (ZMW 2,999/month), and 20Mbps (ZMW 699/month) packages.
• International Roaming Global roaming service enabling calls, data, and SMS across 166 countries through 409 roaming partner networks, available for postpaid and prepaid customers.
• International Calling International voice call service for calling foreign numbers, with prepaid automatic activation and postpaid activation via account manager.
• MPLS/VPN Enterprise connectivity service using MPLS technology to establish secure private data transmission frameworks between organizations for streamlined business communications.
• Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) Guaranteed bandwidth internet service with SLAs, redundancy, 1:1 contention ratios, and 24-hour after-sales support for mission-critical enterprise operations.
• Closed User Group (CUG) Internal communication plans enabling organizations to group employees for charge-free internal calls, optionally bundled with smartphones.
• SIP Trunking Scalable voice connectivity service for PBX systems and contact centers, providing reliable landline solutions for corporate offices.
• Data Centre Services Tower colocation and data centre colocation services offering reliability, scalability, and security for telecommunications equipment and critical business data hosting.
• Fleet Management Real-time GPS tracking solution utilizing 2G/3G/4G network coverage for vehicle monitoring, route optimization, and enhanced operational safety.
• Smart Boardroom Meeting room technology solution integrating cutting-edge collaboration tools for efficient business decision-making.
• Private APN Secure, dedicated mobile data access isolated from public networks for enterprise devices, enabling protected connections for ATM, PoS, remote offices, and vehicle tracking.
• Bulk SMS Mass communication platform enabling enterprises and SMEs to send SMS campaigns and direct messages to large audiences with high-speed delivery, real-time tracking, and API integration.
• Short Codes Interactive short-code platforms for customer service, surveys, promotions, and transactions integrated with Voice, SMS, and USSD services.
• Cloud Hosting & Web Services Domain registration, email hosting, and secure website hosting solutions for businesses.
• ICT Infrastructure Solutions Custom network design, deployment, and support services tailored to specific business environments.
• Global MPLS Services International point-to-point connectivity linking customer sites, PoPs, data centres, and internet exchanges worldwide through submarine cable landing stations and Tier 1 partners.
• My Zamtel App Mobile application on iOS and Android for managing Zamtel services, purchasing bundles, and accessing Zamtel Money features.
• Self Service Portal Online business portal for enterprise account management, service administration, and payment processing available 24/7.
• Zamtel Money Loans Quick micro-loans disbursed directly to Zamtel Money wallets via USSD *115#, requiring no paperwork or long queues.
• Zamtel Money Agent Network Agent network offering cash-in, cash-out, bill payments, airtime purchases, and bank-to-wallet transfers for financial inclusion across Zambia.
• Come Home Number customization service allowing customers to personalize their phone numbers and join the Zamtel network.
• Velocity High-speed internet brand offering fibre and router packages for home and business connectivity under the Velocity sub-brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Network coverage in over 166 countries through 409 international roaming partners
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International Roaming PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationZamtel has partnerships with 409 international networks across over 166 countries for international roaming services, enabling customers to make/receive calls, use data, and send SMS while abroad.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MTN Zambia: MTN Zambia is the largest mobile network operator in Zambia, offering mobile voice/data, mobile money (MTN MoMo), and enterprise services. Directly competes with Zamtel for consumer subscribers, enterprise contracts, and mobile money users within the same Zambian market.
• Airtel Zambia: Airtel Zambia is the second-largest MNO in Zambia, providing mobile voice, data, and Airtel Money mobile financial services. Competes head-to-head with Zamtel across prepaid/postpaid consumer, mobile money, and enterprise segments in the same geography.
• Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Zambia): Liquid operates fibre networks and enterprise connectivity (MPLS, DIA, cloud) across Zambia. Directly comparable to Zamtel's enterprise and fibre (Velocity) offerings, competing for the same corporate and wholesale customers in Zambia.

Broad incumbents

• MTN Group: MTN Group is the pan-African parent of MTN Zambia, operating consumer mobile, mobile money (MoMo), and enterprise services across multiple African markets. Provides a relevant benchmark for Zamtel's broader telecom strategy, scale economics, and mobile money trajectory.
• Airtel Africa: Airtel Africa plc is the pan-African parent of Airtel Zambia, operating mobile networks and Airtel Money across 14 African countries. Directly comparable in operating model, mobile money platform (Airtel Money), and enterprise portfolio, though at materially larger scale than Zamtel.
• Safaricom: Safaricom is Kenya's leading MNO and the operator of M-Pesa, the most successful mobile money platform globally. Highly relevant comparable for Zamtel Money's trajectory, ARPU uplift from financial services, and the broader integrated telco-plus-mobile-money business model.
• Vodacom: Vodacom operates mobile networks across multiple African markets (notably South Africa, DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique) including M-Pesa in several countries. Comparable to Zamtel in integrated telco-plus-mobile-money model and enterprise solutions, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Econet Wireless Zimbabwe: Econet Wireless is Zimbabwe's largest MNO, offering mobile voice/data and mobile money (EcoCash). Comparable to Zamtel as a regional Sub-Saharan African integrated MNO with mobile financial services, though operating in a different country with distinct competitive dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OfficialZamtel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@officialzamtel5592/videos
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/OfficialZamtel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zamtel
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialzamtel
• TikToktiktok.com/@officialzamtel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zamtel