Mozambique

UNDER PREPARATION

Basics

Networks

The South East African country of Mozambique has three providers:

• mCel (by Telecomunicações de Moçambique)
• Vodacom Mozambique
• Movitel (by Viettel)

2G is on 900 and 1800 MHz, 3G on 900 and 2100 MHz up to HSDPA on all three operators. There is no 4G/LTE yet.

Deployment was delayed by the long civil war which ended in 1992. mCel, the incumbent mobile subsidiary of the national telco Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TdM) was the first operator competing with Vodacom from 2003. The entry of a third mobile operator Movitel in 2011 backed by Vietnam shook up the market, leading to lower prices, better voice and data coverage, and higher traffic volumes. Furthermore, the landing of two submarine cables (SEACOM and EASSy) has reduced the cost of bandwidth and led to drastic reductions in broadband retail prices.

In Mozambique many people have more than one active SIM card, chiefly as a result of cross-network prices being higher than on-net prices and variable network quality and coverage forcing users to be able to switch between operators.

SIM card registration

Following food riots that took place in Maputo in 2010 which were mainly coordinated via SMS the government decided to introduce SIM card registration. Initially mobile operators were given a deadline of three months to complete the registration process, that was later extended to 2011. In 2012 only about 1/2 of all SIM cards were registered. In 2015 the government set a new deadline and finally in 2016 some million lines were deactivated for not being registered. So bring along your passport when purchasing a SIM card for registration.

All companies have outlets in major towns at which you can buy SIM card starter packs from MT 50, fill out the necessary registration form and buy top-up cards. While it is OK to buy credit from the hundreds of vendors roaming the streets wearing shirts of the providers, you should never buy SIM card starter packs there. In many cases they sell them at hugely inflated prices and are not properly registered. So you can face disconnection.

mCel (by TDC)

mCel short for Moçambique Celular is the incumbent provider in Mozambique. It's owned by the state through Telecomunicações de Moçambique (TDC) that has the monopoly for landlines. mCel is still the leading operator what customer numbers are concerned, but always cash-stricken. That's why mCel's service is not entirely reliable, especially in rural areas.

Availability

Their prepaid SIM cards are called Giro and sold for around 50 MT in their shops and outlets. To check registration, text "consulta" to 822025.

Recharges are called Giro too and sold for 10 - 2000 MT giving a validity of 2 to 30 days respectively.

Data featured packages

Default rate: 3.50 MT per MB. Their data packages are called Netgiro and offered like in these sizes:

Data	Time	Price	Activation
100 MB	1 hour	2 MT	100MBT
25 MB	6 hours	2 MT	25MBT
6 MB	1 day	1 MT	6MB1
12 MB		3 MT	12MB1
30 MB		4 MT	30MB1
60 MB		10 MT	60MB1
250 MB	7 days	50 MT	250MB7
500 MB		90 MT	500MB7
800 MB		150 MT	800MB7
1.5 GB		200 MT	1.5GB7
4 GB		600 MT	4GB7
1.5 GB	30 days	160 MT	1.5GB30
3.5 GB		480 MT	3.5GB30
6.5 GB		800 MT	6.5GB30
12 GB		1500 MT	12GB30

To activate dial *123# and choose Netgiro or text code from table to 822022. To check consumption dial *123#, choose Netgiro and Saldo da Conta. Overuse is on the default rate. For nightly use (10pm-7am) they offer these night packages:

• 500 MB: 20 MT
• 1.5 GB: 50 MT
• 4 GB: 100 MT

To activate a night pack enter *123# and choose option 5.

More info

• APN: isp.mcel.mz /or/ internet
• Website in Portuguese: http://www.mcel.co.mz

Vodacom Mozambique

Vodacom is the second operator in Mozambique. It's owned by their South African parent company Vodacom who is majority-owned by UK-based Vodafone. They have 3G in most towns, but only 2G elsewhere and are considered pretty reliable. 

Availability

Their prepaid SIM cards are simply called pré-pago and are available in different lines that don't make a difference for data.

Recharges are sold from 10 to 2000 MT valid for 3 to 30 days. The higher vouchers give some bonuses.

Data feature packages

Default rate is 4 MT per MB. These data packages are offered:

Data	Time	Price
100 MB	1 hour	3 MT
20 MB	6 hours	2 MT
30 MB	1 day	5 MT
60 MB		10 MT
120 MB		15 MT
250 MB		30 MT
500 MB	7 days	50 MT
1 GB		100 MT
2 GB		200 MT
2.5 GB	30 days	250 MT
5 GB		500 MT
10 GB		1000 MT
15 GB		1500 MT
25 GB		2400 MT
45 GB		4300 MT

To activate a package dial *111# and follow next steps or send a SMS with the desired amount in MT to 84162. To check data balance dial *111# or text 'BALANCE' to 84162.

More info

• APN: internet
• Website in English: http://www.vm.co.mz/en

Movitel

Movitel is the third operator which is 70%-owned by Viettel and thus the army of Vietnam. It entered the market in 2012, but gained 4 million users in the first 2 years of operation alone. A key Movitel strategy has been to build out its network into locations uncovered or poorly covered by the other two operators. That's why there are rural areas, where it has the monopoly. Furthermore, Movitel has the lowest rates in the country.

Availability

They sell their starter at 5 MT with some bonuses in their stores (locator).

You can recharge 10 - 500 MT with a validity of 3 to 30 days. The higher recharges involve some bonuses. To top-up, enter *150*<voucher code>#.

Data feature packages

Default data is 1 MT per MB. These data packages are offered:

Data	Time	Price	Activation
55 MB	1 hour	2 MT	H1
100 MB		3 MT	H2
80 MB	5 hours	5 MT	H5
20 MB	1 day	3 MT	D3
30 MB		5 MT	D5
70 MB		10 MT	D10
120 MB		15 MT	D15
360 MB		40 MT	D40
400 MB	7 days	30 MT	S30
650 MB		50 MT	S50
1.3 GB		100 MT	S100
2.5 GB		200 MT	S200
2 GB	30 days	200 MT	M200
3 GB		300 MT	M300
6 GB		500 MT	M500
12 GB		1000 MT	M1000
25 GB		2000 MT	M2000
38 GB		3000 MT	M3000

To activate a package enter *155# and choose pack or text code to 155.

More info

• APN: internet
• Website in English: http://movitel.co.mz/en