Yas Tanzania

What Yas Tanzania does

Yas Tanzania is a private Tanzanian telecommunications operator (legally Honora Tanzania) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of pan-African group Axian Telecom, originally launched in 1994 as Tigo Tanzania and rebranded to Yas in 2024. The company operates a 4G/5G mobile network of 4,800+ towers reaching 23+ million customers and provides voice, SMS, data, fibre broadband, device financing, and mobile financial services under the Yas and Mixx by Yas brands. Its technology stack centers on nationwide mobile network infrastructure, including Africa's first commercial deployment of Ericsson's AIR 3285 radio, a flagship "Mtandao wa Viwango" network quality initiative, and a 20-year TZS 300 billion public-private partnership with Zanzibar's ZICTIA to roll out fibre broadband.

Yas generates revenue across four primary streams: subscription-based mobile voice, SMS, and data plans; one-time device sales paired with daily-payment device financing (650-1,800 TZS/day); transaction-fee-driven mobile financial services through the Mixx by Yas super-app; and subscription-based fibre-to-the-home and fixed broadband services. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct retail stores, an authorized dealer and Mixx agent network, e-commerce, and a dedicated enterprise field sales force covering PRO & SME, Large Business, Government & NGOs, and Wholesale segments. The company serves a long-tail consumer base alongside enterprise and public-sector customers, with pricing in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS) and a strong emphasis on mass-market prepaid affordability and digital financial inclusion. No revenue, ARR, or external institutional ownership is publicly disclosed.

Name

Yas Tanzania

Legal name

Honora Tanzania

Website

https://yas.co.tz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Yas Tanzania is a leading Tanzanian mobile network operator and wholly-owned Axian Telecom subsidiary, delivering 4G/5G mobile, fibre broadband, and Mixx by Yas mobile financial services to 23+ million consumer, SME, enterprise, and government customers across the country.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kinondoni

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Mobile Services: Voice, SMS, data, and mobile plans for consumer and business customers including prepaid and postpaid options.
2. Device Sales: Sale of smartphones and accessories with device financing options through daily payments via Mixx by Yas.
3. Mixx by Yas (Mobile Financial Services): Mobile money, payments, money transfers, and virtual card services through the Mixx by Yas super app.
4. Fibre Broadband Services: Fixed broadband and fibre-to-the-home services including the Zanzibar fibre roll-out partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yas Tanzania is a mobile network operator offering consumer and business mobile voice, SMS, and data services over 4G and 5G networks covering Tanzania. The company sells smartphones and accessories through device financing (Mixx by Yas), provides mobile financial services including mobile money, payments, transfers, and virtual cards via the Mixx by Yas super app, and delivers fibre-to-the-home broadband including a TZS 300 billion public-private partnership roll-out in Zanzibar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mixx by Yas: Digital financial services brand offering mobile payments, money transfers, virtual Mastercard, and accessible financial solutions.

Products and services

• Consumer Mobile Plans (Wakishua, Internet, Combo, Voice & SMS, Roaming, International) Prepaid and postpaid mobile voice, SMS, data, internet, roaming, international calling, and combo bundle plans for individual Tanzanian consumers, distributed via retail stores, dealers, and online channels.
• Mixx by Yas Mobile Financial Services Super app offering mobile money, payments, money transfers, and virtual card (virtual Mastercard) services for consumers, agents, and merchants across Tanzania.
• Yas Fibre Broadband (Fibre-to-the-Home) Fixed broadband and fibre-to-the-home high-speed internet service for residential customers in Tanzania, including a flagship Zanzibar broadband expansion delivered through a 20-year public-private partnership.
• Smartphones and Devices with Device Financing Sale of smartphones (e.g., ZTE A36, ZTE A76 4G/5G, Tecno POP 9, ZTE A35 Core) and accessories with daily device financing options via Mixx by Yas, bundled with YAS data plans.
• PRO & SME Business Solutions (Mobile, Internet & Connectivity, Cloud, Fixed Wireless Access, Mjasiriamali Box) Business mobile plans, internet and connectivity, value-added services, financial solutions, cloud, Fixed Wireless Access, and Mjasiriamali Box offerings targeted at Tanzanian professionals and SMEs through a dedicated sales team.
• Large Business Enterprise Solutions (Mobile, Internet & Connectivity, SD-WAN, Cloud, Financial Solutions) Enterprise-grade mobile, connectivity, value-added services, SD-WAN, cloud, and financial solutions for large Tanzanian corporate customers, delivered via dedicated enterprise field sales teams with customized and quote-based pricing.
• Government & NGO Solutions (Mobile, Internet & Connectivity, SD-WAN, Financial Solutions) Mobile, internet and connectivity, value-added services, SD-WAN, and financial solutions tailored for Tanzanian government agencies and non-governmental organizations with emphasis on security, coverage, and regulatory compliance.
• Wholesale Carrier Services (Mobile, Internet & Connectivity, Value Added Services, SD-WAN) Wholesale mobile, connectivity, value-added services, and SD-WAN offerings sold to other Tanzanian telecom operators and service providers for network infrastructure sharing and wholesale capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 households expected to connect to high-speed internet within first 3 years of Zanzibar fibre deployment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• EricssoncoreTechnology or Integration · 25 June 2026Ericsson is supplying AIR 3285 radios alongside deployment and integration support for Yas Tanzania's network modernization. This represents Africa's first commercial deployment of the AIR 3285 radio technology, forming part of Yas Tanzania's ongoing network expansion and modernization strategy.
• ZICTIA (Zanzibar ICT Infrastructure Agency)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Zanzibar's ICT Infrastructure Agency signed a TZS 300 billion public-private partnership agreement with Yas Fibre Tanzania to expand broadband infrastructure across Zanzibar island over 20 years. Approximately 100,000 households expected to connect to high-speed internet within first three years.
• Axian TelecomflagshipOthersAxian Telecom is the pan-African parent company operating in nine markets including Madagascar, Comoros, DRC, Reunion, Mayotte, Senegal, Togo, Uganda, and Tanzania. Yas Tanzania (formerly Tigo Tanzania) is part of the Axian Telecom group unified under the Yas and Mixx by Yas brands.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• MTN Group: Pan-African mobile operator with presence in multiple SSA markets including neighboring Uganda. Provides a comparable blueprint for multi-market African telco scale and a benchmark for Yas's parent Axian's regional ambitions.
• Airtel Africa: Pan-African mobile operator and parent/affiliate of Airtel Tanzania. Comparable multi-market African mobile and mobile money footprint, useful for cross-market benchmarking against Yas.

Others

• Ericsson: Strategic technology partner and core network equipment supplier to Yas (AIR 3285 radio deployment). Not a customer competitor, but a key ecosystem dependency whose roadmap and pricing shape Yas's capex and 5G trajectory.
• Yas (other Axian markets, e.g., Telma Madagascar): Sister brand under Axian Telecom (formerly Telma in Madagascar). Same Yas/Mixx brand and operating playbook as Yas Tanzania, providing a directly comparable cross-market data point within the parent group.

Direct peers

• Vodacom Tanzania: Largest mobile network operator in Tanzania, directly competing with Yas across consumer mobile, mobile money (M-Pesa), enterprise, and 4G/5G segments. Closest like-for-like competitor by scale and product breadth.
• Airtel Tanzania: Direct mobile competitor in Tanzania offering 4G voice/data, mobile money (Airtel Money), and enterprise services. Competes head-to-head with Yas in consumer prepaid and mobile financial services.
• Halotel Tanzania (Viettel): Mobile operator backed by Vietnam's Viettel, competing in Tanzania with consumer mobile and mobile money offerings. Comparable in targeting prepaid mass-market segments similar to Yas.
• Tanzania Telecommunications Company (TTCL): State-linked incumbent fixed and mobile operator in Tanzania. Overlaps with Yas on fixed broadband and mobile services and competes for government and enterprise contracts.

Regional players

• Safaricom (Kenya): Kenyan mobile operator with M-Pesa, the gold-standard African mobile money platform. Comparable business model (telco + fintech super-app) and a useful reference point for Yas's Mixx by Yas trajectory, though geographically distinct.

Emerging players

• Smile Communications Tanzania: 4G-focused mobile and fixed wireless operator in Tanzania. Competes with Yas in the data/4G segment with a narrower consumer focus, illustrating niche competitive pressure on Yas's data proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YasTanzania_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyIC20B3EL3zBa4R9crv5iQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/YasInTanzania
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yas-tanzania
• Instagraminstagram.com/yastanzania_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Yas Tanzania