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Business Reporter

Zimbabwe’s mobile internet and data usage increased by 18,4 percent to 113 857 terabytes in 2022 from 96 194 terabytes in 2021, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) said in its 2022 annual report.

“Used incoming international Internet bandwidth capacity also increased by 39,5 percent to record 272 340Mbps as of December 31, 2022, from 195,158Mbps as of December 31, 2021,” Potraz.

“Used outgoing international Internet bandwidth capacity also increased by 64,9 percent to record 89,790Mbps as of December 31, 2022, from 54,464Mbps recorded as of December 31, 2021, signaling an increase in consumption of local online content.”

As mobile internet usage grew in popularity, so did the demand for faster speeds and more reliable connections.

Ngonidzaishe Dozva a telecoms engineer weighed in saying that with the increased scheduled blackouts, or load shedding, across the country for as long as 18 hours per day, the country’s internet usage may decrease this year.

“When load shedding happens, many fibre users lose their network. This is because when the electricity comes back, too many users try to reconnect at the same time. 

“This causes a significant delay because the systems that control the network become overwhelmed.”

However, more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet, connect with friends and family on social media and even conduct business online.

Telecommunication companies responded by investing in infrastructure upgrades and expanding their networks to reach more people across the country.

The report shows an average increase in active mobile subscriptions of 0,3 percent to 14,3 million subscribers, while the mobile penetration rate also rose by a similar margin.

This shows that the telecommunications industry continues to offer bountiful investment opportunities for local players, having witnessed the entrance of new players into the industry.

One of the mobile virtual network operators, Dolphin Telecoms has been granted an operating license, while a total of six internet providers were also licensed.

The licensed internet service providers (ISPs) include Frampol, IT Anywhere, Timeless Tech and Kamba Telecoms while an application service provider called Click was also licensed.

In a major boost for the growth of the industry, there was an increase in capital expenditure to build telecommunications infrastructure in line with the growing demand for services which shows an inflation-adjusted capital expenditure growth of over 80 percent.

This development is a major boost for improved service delivery where subscribers have been faced with unending network glitches.