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TelOne has successfully undergone a revolution that has seen it transform into a broadband company. Despite being the first company to deploy fibre it has been modest in its approach. With a fibre footprint of close to 3000km, TelOne surely qualifies to call itself a modern fibre company which with all that capacity can without doubt be a one-stop shop for all modern communication, from business, social interaction to entertainment.

In addition its services are offered at prices that are up to 90 percent cheaper than other providers.

Seems their investments are paying off. TelOne by virtue of the shareholding in the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), which is the largest shareholder in the EASSY undersea cable, has the ability to bring guaranteed international bandwidth capacity of up to 96 STM1s, which can last for generations.

Through WIOCC, TelOne also has access to the West Coast Cable Systems (WACS), the cable connecting Africa to Europe; and Asia (EIG), the cable system connecting Southern Africa to Europe and Asia (SAT 3 and SAFE), Seacom, Sea-Me-We 3 and several cable systems around Africa.

These connections have resulted in TelOne being able to land internet capacity into Zimbabwe at a lower cost and with full diversity catering for Zimbabweans across the spectrum.

WIOCC offers carriers affordable, reliable connectivity to over 400 locations across 30 African countries – utilising more than 50 000 kilometres of terrestrial fibre and 40 000 kilometres of submarine fibre optic cable.

WIOC’s international network reach currently extends to 100 cities in 29 countries in Europe and more than 700 cities in 70 countries globally.

What this means for businesses is the guaranteed capacity. Furthermore, TelOne through this partnership can facilitate connectivity for clients with operations in other countries.

It can also facilitate connectivity between the Zimbabwean office and the regional/international offices of a particular multinational company at the same tariffs with 100 percent redundancy and 24-hour support.

TelOne’s capacity has also enabled it to introduce fibre to the building, fibre to the Cabinet and fibre to the home.

The company recently unveiled fibre to the home packages that enable residents in new suburbs where there was no copper infrastructure to enjoy superfast broadband.

“To date, TelOne has deployed fibre in several suburbs in and outside Harare. These include Mt Pleasant Heights, Prospect Park, Mainway Meadows, Zimre Park, Ruwa, Mimosa Park in Zvishavane and Turf Village in Ngezi,” said a TelOne official. The official added that in these areas alone, the company has the capacity to connect over 15 000 homes.

This is set to increase as they continue with FTTH project roll out which is almost complete in other areas that include Madokero, Westgate Area D, Good Hope, and Tynwald North.

Starting from $36, consumers get speeds of up to 5Mbps and a download cap of 20Gb. The unlimited package of $123 offers speeds of 20Mbps and other ISPs are struggling to match that price! This also comes with free installation of an IP landline and the fibre optic cables at the customer’s residence. The fibre company has also revolutionised the game and introduced public Wi-Fi in high traffic areas in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Masvingo, Victoria Falls and Plumtree.

At just $1 for 100Mb data has become very affordable for the ordinary person. Public Wi-Fi was introduced with the informal sector and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in mind who are now contributing significantly to the mainstream economy.

TelOne expects to provide connectivity for everyone, everywhere in Zimbabwe by 2020. This will entail connectivity using the existing copper network, using satellite solutions in remote areas and expanding its fibre footprint in order to grow its broadband market.

The company says it will soon bridge the digital gap in Zimbabwe to improve digital literacy, create a knowledge-based society and subsequently further development and growth of the Zimbabwean economy. — Technomag