Source: 350 base stations on the way | The Herald May 28, 2019
Dr Machengete Runesu Gwidi in GUTU
THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has identified places for installation of 350 more telecommunication base stations as it moves to address perennial network challenges and to enhance digital connectivity across the nation.The authority’s director-general Dr Gift Machengete said they had so far established 6 863 telecommunication base stations compatible with digital connectivity.
He was speaking at the commemoration of the World Telecommunication and Information Society in Gutu yesterday.
“The nation has a total of 6 863 base stations that allow digital access and 581 of these base stations are in Masvingo province alone.
“However, these are inadequate for connectivity and hence we have identified suitable places across te country to establish 350 more base stations, in collaboration with the various telecommunication players.
“Once the base stations are put in place, the issue of network challenges in communities will be a thing of the past,” said Dr Machengete.
This year’s commemoration were held under the theme: “Bridging the Standardisation Gap.”
The annual event has been celebrated since the formation of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) some 154 years ago.
The event was also attended by the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Kazembe Kazembe, who said the theme resonated well with the Government’s vision to transform the country into a digital economy.
“The theme entails that Zimbabwe must catch up with rest of the world in terms of digitalisation.
“The information gaps across the globe, which were created as a result of differences in levels of industrialisation have to be ironed out.
“Government is in the process of ensuring equal access to telecommunication networks by embracing e-learning, e-health, smart mining, smart cities and communities, smart agriculture, among other technologies,” said Minister Kazembe.
COMMENTS
Who is going to regulate these particular ones built by the regulator? Where a regulator gets USF from revenues of the regulated does that constitute conflict of interest especially when it comes to revenue hence prices? Is it not better to give back the USF to operators in proportion to their contributions and require that they service under serviced areas and demand performance from them rather than referee choosing to wear gloves and box?
Hopefully once these new 350 base stations are up and ready to go that we have electricity. We are also presuming we will have customers who are able to afford to pay. With 90 per cent of our population unemployed there will only be a few customers – just ZANUPF and its hangers on – the only people with cash in the pocket