Powertel to invest $50M in Zimbabwe's fiber network

Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) subsidiary Powertel Communications has announced that it will invest $50 million into expanding its fiber network to improve rural connectivity across the country.

Powertel operates an optic fiber backbone network, an optic fiber distribution network and an optic fiber and wireless access network in Zimbabwe.

Moreover, the company operates a 3,000km fiber backbone network, which helps to link Zimbabwe through gateways in Botswana and Mozambique to submarine cables.

Speaking to NewsDay Business during the company's customer interface dinner, Acting Commercial Director Prosper Mutswiri said the upgrade work is being carried out in conjunction with improvements to ZESA's electricity supply network and the expansion of its utility grid.

He added that because its fiber hangs on Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) power lines, the company plans to deploy its fiber wherever there are power lines.

Powertel will use Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) power lines to expand its fiber network. (Source: Freepik)

"During total electrification, we are rolling out fiber so marginalized communities or unconnected areas will be connected to the Internet and will have both electricity and Internet," Mutswiri continued.

Mutswiri further noted that under Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 initiative, the firm is exploring other investment opportunities with a primary focus on delivering connectivity to areas that receive little to no service.

Zimbabwe connecting underserved

Powertel's announcement comes at a time when the country is in the process of working toward connecting underserved communities through unconventional methods.

In January 2023, Dark Fiber Africa (DFA) and Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS) completed the first stage of their long-haul fiber backbone project.

That project provided connectivity between Zimbabwean towns and cities by deploying fiber along the country's national rail tracks. The first phase saw 1,180km of fiber stretch from Zimbabwe's border town of Beitbridge in Matabeleland South province, to the resort town of Victoria Falls in the north of the country.

The network infrastructure cost $18 million, with the next phase expected to cost the same amount.

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*Top image source: Allexxandar on Freepik.

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa