Online Reporter
The Herald, 17 February 1990
THE first digital telephone exchange to be commissioned in Zimbabwe’s rural areas was officially opened by the Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Cde Witness Mangwende at Murewa growth point yesterday.
The equipment, valued at £250 000, has 600 lines and was given to the PTC by British Telecom. Cde Mangwende said in view of the important role telecommunication services played in development, the Government aimed at providing postal and telecommunication facilities within easy reach of village communities.
“In fact, these facilities should ideally be located within a 5 km radius of such communities.” The Government has embarked on an exercise to upgrade rural telecommunications across the country which involved changing 51 manual telephone exchanges to automatic.
To date, 40 have been automatised but Murewa was the only one to be converted to computerised digital exchange. The system, which was commissioned last November, brings the district within easy reach of any place in the world where there is a telephone.
The UXD5 is one of a type developed in the United Kingdom in the 1980’s and there are 600 such units in rural UK. Similar units have been installed in Kenya and Malawi.
The exchange provides such services as abbreviated dialling, call diversion, call barring and repeat last number.
The opening ceremony was attended by local leaders, PTC board members, a British Telcom representative and the local MP Cde David Karimanzira, who is also the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Development.
Cde Mangwende recounted Government’s successes in other areas of rural development which include health and education and said these showed Government’s sincerity and commitment to the development of these areas.
“In the face of all these wonderful and glorious achievements, who can question the ability and competence of your Government to deliver the goods to the people? Who can doubt our sincerity when we say we are a people-oriented Government and party?” He urged the people of Murewa to vote for Zanu (PF) candidates in the forthcoming general elections.
Lessons for today
- The commissioning of the first digital telephone exchange in rural Zimbabwe symbolized a significant technological milestone. It brought Murewa “within easy reach of any place in the world where there is a telephone.”
- The equipment was given by British Telecom, and similar systems existed in the UK, Kenya, and Malawi. This shows Zimbabwe was part of global technology trends. It also demonstrates successful diplomatic and technological cooperation.
- The new digital exchange brought Murewa “within easy reach of any place in the world where there is a telephone.”
This meant rural business owners could contact suppliers and customers more reliably, place orders faster, receive information without delays, coordinate transport, stock deliveries, or market prices.
- The digital telephone exchange allowed rural areas to function more like urban centres with modern communication, smoother operations, and greater access to national and global networks. It was a major catalyst for rural economic transformation.
