Econet To Invest US$200 Million To Improve Service Quality

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe says it is investing over US$200 million to expand network capacity, improve service quality and reduce disruptions linked to ongoing power challenges.

The move comes as demand for mobile data continues to rise sharply, driven by smartphone adoption, video streaming and growing use of digital services.

Group chief executive Douglas Mboweni said the immediate priorities are to expand capacity and strengthen infrastructure resilience to ensure more reliable and consistent connectivity for customers.

“Every year, our customers are consuming significantly more data than the year before. Staying ahead of this growth requires continuous investment in network capacity, smarter technologies and infrastructure that can withstand the challenges of a rapidly evolving digital environment,” said Mboweni.

Econet operates more than 7,000 base stations across Zimbabwe, supporting 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G technologies.

Mboweni said the company is progressively retiring its legacy 2G and 3G networks and reallocating spectrum to 4G and 5G to increase capacity, improve speeds and enhance the customer experience.

The migration to newer technologies is, however, being held back by the continued use of older handsets, particularly in rural communities, where millions of subscribers are unable to access the full benefits of modern digital services.

“We have more than three million subscribers whose handsets are too old to support many of today’s digital services,” said Mboweni.

“If you are using a 2G or 3G device, high-bandwidth applications such as TikTok and YouTube will either not work or will deliver a poor experience.

“That is a device limitation, not a network limitation. And so we are working on initiatives to make new smartphones more affordable so that more Zimbabweans can upgrade and fully benefit from the capabilities of the current technologies we offer.”

Unreliable power supply remains one of the biggest causes of network disruptions, prompting Econet to accelerate investment in alternative energy solutions.

The company is building a solar power station at Econet Tech City to supply its Harare operations with renewable energy.

It is also deploying an artificial intelligence-based energy management system to monitor and optimise power usage across its network, to cut power-related faults by up to 50% by the end of the year.

More: Business Times