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ZOL Zimbabwe’s public Wi-Fi platform known as ZOLspot has been awarded the International Arch of Europe (IAE) Award in the Gold category at the International BID Quality Convention to be held in Germany this July, 2017.

BID has been in existence for 31 years and is known for worldwide for quality culture recognition.

The award that ZOLspot has received recognises and encourages the contribution of organisations and companies to quality, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Bagging this award is a big deal for ZOLspot and well-deserved for the following reasons:

ZOLspot enjoys dominance in public Wi-Fi network service

There are reportedly 877 public Wi-Fi hotspots in Zimbabwe, according to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) 4th quarter report of 2016. Of these 877 public Wi-Fi hotspots, ZOL Zimbabwe owns over 300 ZOLspots nationwide making it the leading service provider in offering public Wi-Fi networks.

The dominance of ZOLspot in the public Wi-Fi network service stems from its Fibroniks-on-the-Go innovation, which seeks to improve customer satisfaction for its customers. Fibroniks-on-the-Go is a homegrown innovation that allows ZOL’s Fibroniks customers to access their home internet from any ZOLspot nationwide.

The more ZOLspots there are, the more connectivity and convenience ZOL Fibroniks clients enjoy.

ZOLspot promotes internet access for everyone
There are some facts and figures about ZOLspot that are easy to quantify. What is harder to quantify is how many students have been able to complete assignments using the ZOLspot service or how many people successfully applied for jobs through ZOLspot.

In short, numerous internet users have been positively impacted by ZOLspots where an hour of free Wi-Fi is offered daily to every user.

Whether they are travelling or at an event or at a college or simply hanging out in a mall, there are thousands of Zimbabweans and visitors who have benefited from free ZOLspot Wi-Fi at numerous strategic and high traffic locations.

While the IAE Award that ZOL is receiving is premised on research and analysis carried out through Quality Hunters, leaders, entrepreneurs and experts in quality — locally, ZOLspot has made its mark by positively impacting educational, business and social spaces.

ZOLspot enhances educational spaces
Within the education sector, ZOLspot has a marked presence in many tertiary institutions across the country including Speciss College, Bindura University, Seke Teachers’ College, Kwekwe, Masvingo and Bulawayo Polytechnical Colleges amongst others.

The availability of ZOLspot Wi-Fi has ensured that students and youths in those areas (who often venture onto the premises to catch the Wi-Fi signal) can benefit.

For instance, they can easily refer to e-books and online learning methods while on the go and at no extra cost if they take advantage of the one hour of free Wi-Fi.

ZOLspot boosts traffic for businesses
In the business arena, ZOLspot has drawn significant traffic for entities such as Innscor, Cresta Hotels, KFC, including malls such as Longcheng Plaza, Sam Levy’s Village, Joina City, Avondale Shopping Centre and other strategic locations.

Restaurants such as Fishmonger, Amanzi, Maestro, Pariah State and St Elmo’s also offer ZOLspot Wi-Fi.

Businesses that have partnered with ZOLspot are able to offer complimentary Wi-Fi to their patrons and enjoy one of the biggest benefits, which is an increase in the time patrons spend on their premises.

By providing public Wi-Fi zones, ZOLspot has played a huge role in lowering the barrier to internet access and bridging the digital divide.

Since ZOLspot Wi-Fi is available at various locations like all our airports and at high traffic hang outs like KwaMereki, and Kuwadzana 1 Shops ZOL is ensuring that no members of the community are left behind as everyone who finds their way to a ZOLspot can get online.

ZOLspot enables millennials to improve internet skills

For Zimbabwe millennials, ZOLspots are spaces that can bolster innovation, especially as the number of internet users continues to grow and the number of internet devices on the market continues to rise.

The importance of internet cannot be overstated because nowadays people need to be connected regardless of where they are and ZOLspot has responded to this need. ZOL has conveniently provided a mobile app — myZOL — that helps users locate the nearest ZOLspots in their vicinity.

Zimbabwe may be a long way from the smart city dream, but ZOL Zimbabwe is leading the charge on providing innovative solutions to bridge the internet access divide and give our millennials a fighting chance in a world where digital literacy and internet skills are a formidable advantage. Our youth deserve to live like this!

ZOLspot offers Wi-Fi for Events

Apart from impacting specific locations, ZOLspots public Wi-Fi networks can be set up for social events for a fee, to enable attendees, to be connected and to share the proceedings online.

ZOLspots offer an affordable alternative to internet access. With over 100 000 unique users on the ZOLspot platform every month, it is evident that Zimbabweans are appreciative of the platform which now also offers advertising space on its portal.

The IAE Award serves to underscore that ZOL Zimbabwe has set international standards to measure itself against.

Sponsored by 26 Imarpress media publications (www.imarpress.com), all oriented towards organisations focused on innovation, quality and excellence, the IAE Award received by ZOLspot places it amongst a select and prestigious group of global innovators.