adminFrost & Sullivan’s award for Customer Value Enhancement is presented to the firm that demonstrates excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers.
The award recognises companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. “Based on its recent analysis of the broadband communications market in Africa, Frost & Sullivan recognises Econet Wireless with the 2011 Africa Frost & Sullivan Award for customer value enhancement.
“Econet Wireless is lauded for its strong ethical commitment to prioritising consumers in the implementation of its strategies,” said Econet. Frost & Sullivan research analyst Ms Chipo Ngongoni said: “The data services that Econet Wireless offers suit almost every segment of the Zimbabwean broadband market.
“Its proactiveness in combating the restraints in the broadband market, such as power outages and low disposable income, has resulted in the introduction of affordable, cost-effective access devices.”
Despite the difficult economic conditions in Zimbabwe, Econet Wireless continues to upgrade and expand its network infrastructure.
Its mobile network has the widest geographic coverage available currently in all the major cities in the country.
“This wide terrestrial network has contributed to the technological advantage that Econet Wireless offers,” remarked Ms Ngongoni.
“The company was the first to carry out 3G trials in September 2009 in the Zimbabwean market and the further rollout of 3G will enable it to increase data revenues, sustain subscriber growth rates and boost market share.”
Econet Wireless’ loyalty programmes are aimed at building customer loyalty and decreasing customer churn due to service interruption.
Econet Wireless designs and offers a wide range of innovative value added services aimed at addressing different consumer segments under the leadership of its chief executive, Mr Douglas Mboweni.
For low-income earners, there is an eTXT service, which offers access to receive and send emails on any kind of handset in the form of an SMS.
The eTXT service also gives GSM phones access to social network sites like Facebook via SMS.
Other products and services aimed at enhancing subscriber value include EcoCash, which offers mobile transfer of money, and econetmail.com, a cloud-based email service, which is offered free to broadband subscribers.
Proactive device management has also been a focus area for Econet Wireless.
To overcome the challenge of erratic power supply, Econet Wireless has been working on deploying more energy efficient solutions to power the network infrastructure and reduce network downtimes.
“Econet Wireless has launched Econet Energy, which invests in renewable energy solutions offering solar-based chargers and solar handsets. In 2010, the company introduced an innovative low-cost, solar-powered handset device.”
Due to low-income levels, Zimbabwe is rife with incompatible handsets. These devices do not allow customers to experience the full advantages of the data services on the market.
“Econet is looking at ways to reduce the number of such devices by offering low-cost data devices,” Ms Ngongoni noted.
“These devices will be able to access both the EGDE and 3G networks, thus offering customers better connectivity and more value for money.”
Frost & Sullivan (South Africa), the growth partnership company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter