from DANAI MWARUMBWA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – ECONET Wireless, Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile network operator, has invested US$66 million as part of its network modernization programme in 2023.
This is disclosed in its annual report, released by chairman, James Myers.
“Network expansion and upgrades remain imperative to support business sustainability, which has been hampered by several years of under investment, due to ongoing macro-economic challenges,” he stated.
During the above mentioned period, Econet added 22 5G base stations.
“We remain the only network in the country with 5G technology,” Myers said.
The 5G and network modernisation rollout plan is poised to increase access to newer technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, ultra-high-definition video (UHD) streaming, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
To meet the growing demand for both voice and data traffic, Econet commissioned 80 new base stations providing additional coverage and capacity.
“We commenced the deployment of a new modern core network with new generation cloud capabilities,” Myers stated.
He added Econet had a strong platform to anchor its transition to a fully-fledged digital services provider.
“Exploiting 4G and 5G network enabled opportunities will be key to keep abreast with emerging global trends and improve service delivery,” Myers concluded.
– CAJ News