Potraz embarks on rural network coverage project

Fund to install infrastructure in rural areas to improve coverage of mobile phone networks.
The programme involves the installation of shared support telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas, consisting of towers, power back-up and equipment rooms.
The USF was established under the Postal and Telecommunications Act and became operational in September 2001 under the administration of Potraz.
Licensed cellphone operators and other Information Communication Technology providers contribute 2 percent of their gross income to the fund, which is used to finance provision of services in remote areas where commercial viability is slim.
Potraz director-general Engineer Charles Sibanda said work at eight sites had already started.
“We are already installing the passive infrastructure in one district in all the eight provinces and work should be completed before year end before the rainy season, which is around the corner,” he said.
Studies have shown that telecommunications is an important tool for the economic development and self-sufficiency of any country.
Engineer Sibanda said the three mobile phone operators in the country and ICT service providers would share the infrastructure to install transmitters for providing their services.
Eng Sibanda urged people to continue registering their mobile lines. “Registering lines should be a continuous process. A line should be registered before it is activated,” he said. – New Ziana.