The
Zimbabwean
government
has
introduced
strict
penalties
for
telecom
operators
failing
to
meet
quality
standards,
aiming
to
address
ongoing
issues
with
poor
service
affecting
consumers
nationwide.
Zimbabwe’s
telecom
sector
is
highly
competitive,
with
companies
offering
services
ranging
from
voice
and
data
to
cloud
solutions
and
cybersecurity.
However,
many
operators,
including
Econet,
NetOne,
and
Telecel,
face
challenges
maintaining
service
quality,
exacerbated
by
financial
difficulties.
NetOne,
for
instance,
reported
liabilities
exceeding
assets
by
ZWL$32
billion.
The
government
has
set
specific
benchmarks:
a
minimum
Data
Service
Access
Success
Rate
(DSASR)
of
95%
and
a
Data
Service
Drop
Rate
(DSDR)
below
2%.
Additionally,
4G
networks
must
provide
downlink
speeds
of
at
least
5
Mbps
and
uplink
speeds
of
1
Mbps.
Operators
failing
to
meet
these
standards
for
three
consecutive
months
will
be
fined.
These
penalties
come
as
new
competitors
like
Starlink
disrupt
the
market
with
high-speed
satellite
internet,
forcing
established
providers
to
rethink
pricing
and
service
quality.
In
response,
Liquid
Intelligent
Technologies,
Zimbabwe’s
largest
internet
provider,
cut
unlimited
internet
packages
by
up
to
45%.
TelOne
is
also
planning
flexible
pricing
models
to
remain
competitive.
While
these
measures
aim
to
improve
telecom
services,
they
highlight
the
challenges
operators
face.
Despite
infrastructure
improvements,
Econet
has
received
complaints
about
service
reliability.
The
penalty
framework
is
a
critical
step
toward
ensuring
operators
invest
in
infrastructure
and
improve
service
quality,
benefiting
consumers
across
Zimbabwe.