Mozambique INCM: Rules for Consumers, Secures Telecom Refunds

Maputo — Mozambique's National Communications Institute (INCM), the regulatory body for telecommunications, recorded 391,700 consumer complaints regarding telecommunications services in 2025 and ruled in favour of consumers in one third of the complaints. INCM also secured in favour of consumers refunds and compensations estimated at over 160,000 meticais (about 2,500 US dollars at the current exchange rate), taking into account that none of the three mobile operators (Tmcel, Vodacom and Movitel) fully met the network availability targets set by the regulator. According to the 2025 Consumer Protection Report on Communications Services, from the National Communications Institute of Mozambique (INCM), 61 complaints were received on appeal during the year, of which 52 had been concluded by December, representing a resolution rate of around 85 percent. "Of the cases closed, 35 were resolved in favour of consumers, equivalent to around 67 percent, through the restoration of rights, refunds, compensation or the correction of practices deemed improper. Billing complaints accounted for the largest share of cases reviewed, representing 25 percent of the total, followed by complaints related to mobile wallets (22 percent), service quality (15 percent) and fraud and security (13 percent)", reads the document. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines According to the note, the internet covered 19.8 percent of the people, corresponding to 6.96 million users, while 33 percent of the population still lacked access to mobile broadband services and more than 60 percent lived in areas with inadequate communications infrastructure, particularly rural and peri-urban areas. "In billing cases, consumers mainly reported unauthorized deductions from their balances, rapid data consumption, failure to activate paid-for services and discrepancies in the amounts charged. Our intervention resulted in the refund of 113,050 meticais, as well as compensation in the form of services, including additional mobile data packages", reads the document. Complaints related to mobile wallets involved transfers to incorrect numbers, withheld funds, difficulties in reversing transactions and failures in digital financial services. The INCM used regulatory mediation and referred cases to the Bank of Mozambique when they fell outside its remit. "In these cases, we secured the return of around 50,000 meticais to affected consumers, as well as holding operators accountable for security failures and referring some cases to the Office of the Attorney-General." Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. According to the report, consumer protection in 2025 "ceased to rely solely on good operational practices and became firmly anchored in a robust regulatory framework. 2025 was a turning point in consolidating the consumer protection system for communications services." Complaints submitted by letter accounted for 21 percent of the total, while the Customer Line recorded just five cases, equivalent to eight percent. Read the original article on AIM . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and ab