Econet launches 3G service in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe now joins Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria in offering 3G services following the development of a new communications policy by the Zimbabwean government.

Infoworld reports that the 3G service was launched last week by Econet Wireless, the country’s largest mobile service provider, after two years of negations and lobbying by service providers.

Econet Wireless CEO Douglas Mboweni said Zimbabwe has now joined a new communication world where mobile phones are no longer tools for just voice communication. The introduction of 3G and related technologies such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) will accelerate economic growth, he said.

“What we are now witnessing is Zimbabwe is a sign that the Zimbabwean government is determined to develop the country’s telecom sector and move along with other countries in the region,” said Edith Mwale, African center for ICT Development program officer.

In April this year, the country’s Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) approved the issuance of a 3G license, paving the way for Zimbabwe to join other African countries in offering the 3G services.

POTRAZ agreed to give existing and new telecom service providers a blanket license in order to allow them to use new generation services.

Zimbabwe is trying to attract international service providers that have been reluctant to invest in the country because of restrictive license conditions and the unfriendly political situation. Zimbabwe is trying to regain its position of having the second-fastest-growing information and communication technology sector in southern Africa after South Africa.

According to the Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009, Zimbabwe was ranked 132 out of 134 countries on the network readiness index. This means that Zimbabwe ranks below all of the 13 countries in the Southern Africa Development Community except the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As a result of the shift in government ICT policies, the three operators in Zimbabwe — NetOne, Telecel and Econet — have announced massive roll-out programs and services in order to increase subscribers.