INCM Telecom Complaints Hit 391,700 in Mozambique in 2025

In Short

• Mozambique’s telecom regulator INCM says it recorded 391,700 consumer complaints about communications services in 2025.
• INCM ruled in favour of consumers in about one third of the complaints and secured refunds and compensation of over 160,000 meticais.
• INCM also said none of the country’s three mobile operators met network availability targets.

What Happened

INCM, Mozambique’s communications regulator, says telecom complaints rose to 391,700 in 2025. The data comes from its 2025 Consumer Protection Report on Communications Services.

The regulator said it ruled in favour of consumers in roughly one third of the complaints handled. It also reported refunds and compensation worth more than 160,000 meticais, about $2,500 at current exchange rates.

INCM flagged network availability, which is the percentage of time a mobile network is reachable and working as expected. It said Movitel, Tmcel, and Vodacom Mozambique did not fully meet the network availability targets set by the regulator.

On appeals, INCM said it received 61 cases and concluded 52 by December 2025, an 85% resolution rate. Of the closed appeal cases, 35 were resolved in favour of consumers, around 67%.

Billing disputes were the biggest category on appeal at 25%. INCM said common issues included unauthorized balance deductions, fast data depletion, failure to activate paid services, and charge mismatches. The regulator said its intervention led to 113,050 meticais in refunds plus compensation such as extra mobile data bundles.

Complaints linked to mobile wallets made up 22% of appeal cases. A mobile wallet is a phone-based account used to store money and send transfers, similar to a bank app but often run by a telecom operator. INCM cited wrong-number transfers, withheld funds, reversal problems, and service failures, and said it referred some cases to the Bank of Mozambique and, in some instances, the Attorney-General’s Office.

Why It Matters

Telecom and mobile money reliability is directly tied to how people communicate and how they pay for goods and services. INCM’s numbers suggest Mozambique’s consumer pain points are not only about call quality and data speeds, but also billing accuracy, fraud, and mobile wallet transaction handling.

The report also points to a broader infrastructure gap. INCM estimates internet penetration at 19.8% of the population, about 6.96 million users. It adds that 33% of the population still lacks access to mobile broadband, and more than 60% live in areas with inadequate communications infrastructure, especially in rural and peri-urban regions.

For operators, the findings raise pressure to improve network uptime, customer support, and dispute resolution. For fintechs and merchants relying on mobile wallets, it highlights the need for clearer reversal processes and stronger security controls.