Zimbabwe

The ‘dollarisation' has done miracles for the country's telecom industry: Network operators, now able to bill their clients in hard currency, have regained a certain degree of planning reliability and access to funding for network expansions. Hundreds of millions of US dollars are now being invested into the three mobile networks - Econet, NetOne and Telecel Zimbabwe. Mobile penetration has tripled within 18 months to reach 40% in mid-2010, in spite of the fact that consumer prices at first rose - artificial price caps in local currency had meant that prices had before been in the extreme low when converted into hard currencies. As a consequence, the average minutes of use on Zimbabwe's mobile networks were ironically among the highest in the world, and the networks were congested. Prices are now more in line with other African markets again.

The limited fixed-line infrastructure

Despite the limited fixed-line infrastructure, Internet usage in Zimbabwe has continued to rise. In an environment of strictly controlled traditional media, citizens turned to the Internet for independent information and communication. But, limitations of international bandwidth for the landlocked country have affected development of the sector. New fibre optic links are now being deployed to improve international connectivity via neighbouring countries with access to international submarine fibre optic cables.

The ISP market is reasonably competitive with six major players. Eight companies have been licensed to provide VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony services. Several data carriers have been licensed and are rolling out national fibre backbone networks. ISPs have begun rolling out wireless broadband access networks, and the first 3G mobile broadband service in the country was overwhelmed by demand within weeks afterwards launch.

Multi-currency system normalises telecom sector;Estimates to end-2012 for mobile, fixed-line and Internet market;Profiles of major players in all market sectors;TelOne, NetOne privatisation planned;Second fixed-line licence expected;New draft ICT Bill;Hundreds of millions of US dollars in network expansions;New domestic and international fibre connections;3G spectrum allocation, service launches;Internet and broadband pricing trends.

Comprehensive overview of trends

This annual report provides a comprehensive overview of trends and developments in Zimbabwe's telecommunications market. Subjects covered include:

Key statistics;Market and industry overviews;Regulatory environment and structural reform;Major players;Infrastructure development;Mobile voice and data markets;Average Revenue per User;Internet and broadband development and pricing;Convergence

For those needing high level strategic information and objective analysis on the telecommunications sector in Zimbabwe, this report is essential reading and gives furthermore information on:

Market with ten years of lost time to catch up on

A market with ten years of lost time to catch up on;The impact of the economic crisis;Government policies affecting the telecoms industry;Market liberalisation and regulatory issues;Telecoms operators - privatisation, acquisitions, new licences;Internet and broadband development and growth, including 3G mobile;Broadband services and pricing trends;Mobile Average Revenue per User

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