The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) will today, Monday 23 July 2018, officially open the Maitengwe Base Station constructed to the tune of US$ 400 000 from the Universal Services Fund (USF). Maitengwe Communal area is a tribal area and is located near Plumtree Border Post in Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The estimate terrain elevation above sea level is 1054 metres.
The Minister of ICT & Cyber Security, Hon Supa Mandiwanzira last year raised concerned that the Maitengwe community were connecting via Botswana service providers, mainly due to lack of infrastructure, and no business case to pursue for the operators.
“We noted with great concern that Zimbabweans in this area are not even using local mobile network to communicate, but would rather use neighbouring country networks, mainly because of lack of infrastructure and poor connectivity in the area.”
Bridging this digital divide and providing financial inclusivity to the people of Maitengwe community will certainly be good news. This will also mark an important moment for the people in the area who will now make and receive mobile calls and access high-speed mobile broadband.
POTRAZ has invited the country’s three leading mobile network operators (Econet, NetOne and Telecel) to set up their equipment and share the telecoms infrastructure. The USF fund was established to finance the expansion of telecommunications services in outlying areas, which are under serviced such as Maitengwe.
Other areas in Zimbabwe such as Manama, Hangwa, Chiunye, Zibungululu, Chiodza, Chidodo, Pfungwe, Makhosa, Nemashakwe, Neuso and Dlamini are yet to have reliable network coverage. Other purposes of the USF include assisting in the training of personnel in the provision of postal and telecommunication services and contributing towards research and development in the field of postal and telecommunication services.
