HARARE: Until a fortnight ago, internet connectivity in Zimbabwe had always been a challenge, characterized by slow bandwidth, exorbitant tariffs and availability only in upscale areas. However, TelOne, a government communication entity, is seeking to bridge the gap by offering fast, cheap and public Wi-Fi.The company has rolled out public Wi-Fi zones in various places throughout the country, but it is the most visible in Harare.
“I think it’s a good move. This goes to show that Zimbabwe is getting where the world is in terms of information and communication technology,” Zimbabwean Information, Communication and Technology Minister Supa Mandiwanzira told Anadolu Agency.Although internet and Wi-Fi are not new in Zimbabwe, the concept of public Wi-Fi zones is regarded as a positive step.
Ordinary citizens can now browse through their mobile phones or laptop computers – in their cars, marketplaces and resting areas, such as Harare’s Unity Square Gardens – as they go about their normal business.According to TelOne, nearly 25 public zones have so far been set up, each of which covers a 100-meter radius.Most of them are in capital Harare, followed by Bulawayo, the second capital, and Victoria Falls town.
“By virtue of being a shareholder in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSY), we have the capacity to bring public Wi-Fi at unbearably low prices and are happy to pass this to our clients,” Melody Harry, TelOne corporate communications officer, told the Anadolu Agency.
EASSY is an undersea fiber optic cable system that connects countries in Eastern Africa to the rest of the world.“We have three packages: $1 for 100 megabytes, $2 for 240 megabytes, and $5 for 600 megabytes,” she explained.
Zimbabweans currently pay $1 for as few as 9.5 megabytes on other network providers.Internet cafes charge anything from $1 per ten minutes up to 30 minutes, which limits people’s access the internet.For years, Zimbabweans clamored for cheap Wi-Fi internet that was reliable and easily accessible.Low-cost public Wi-Fi is expected to open up the internet market and further lower prices for Zimbabwean consumers.
“Our primary target for public Wi-Fi is users in the informal sectors. Informal traders are now pivotal to transforming the Zimbabwean economy,” Harry told Anadolu Agency.“We are proud to bring connectivity right where they are,” she said.Minister Mandiwanzira urged TelOne and other internet providers to consider packaging their services intelligently.
“It is all about packaging. Yes, it might appear free, but the packaging should be such that internet service providers should realize their returns from advertising. It is not really free, but it can be done,” Mandiwanzira told Anadolu Agency.Efforts to obtain comment from other internet providers were unsuccessful.
Godknows Homwe, a Harare-based media practitioner, was able to enjoy the new service while visiting Victoria Falls two weeks ago.“I think this [Wi-Fi availability] is positive for a country like Zimbabwe,” he told Anadolu Agency.“I experienced some remarkable improvements with regards to internet connectivity and it was convenient,” added Homwe.
Carl Joshua Ncube, a popular Harare comedian, said he was advertising his work online, stressing that cheap public zones would help people learn about his work.“My colleagues rely on reliable and accessible internet so that their comic acts are easily noticed online and [become] faster through such innovations,” he told Anadolu Agency. Some, however, questioned how TelOne would survive, considering the current economic situation.
“With the current situation in Zimbabwe, business is not doing well,” Tomson Mbiriyamveka, a businessman running an internet cafe in Harare’s city center, told Anadolu Agency.
“Therefore, the more people they enroll in their forum, the slower it will become in the near future and clients will start to complain,” he suggested.
Mbiriyamveka said the Zimbabwean government was not reliable and could end up deciding to backtrack on the service due to the biting cash crunch in the country. But Harry, the TelOne communications officer, insisted they had a strategy, although he stopped short of announcing it.
“What we can say is that TelOne is moving aggressively into the broadband market,” she told Anadolu Agency. “We are, however, not at liberty to share our strategy on this at the moment,” she added.
