Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve-Victoria Falls Reporter
Powertel has intensified the drive to enhance its national backbone infrastructure, culminating in 3 842km network and the introduction of cutting-edge technologies, a boost to the nation’s digital transformation agenda,
This infrastructural development, hailed as a critical enabler for national economic development, was revealed by Powertel acting managing director, Mr Willard Nyagwande, in a newsletter marking the beginning of the year.
Powertel, a subsidiary of the ZESA Holdings group, has long been a pivotal player in Zimbabwe’s information and communication technology landscape.
Leveraging the extensive power utility infrastructure, the company provides a robust platform for internet, data and voice services to corporate entities, Government departments, SMEs, and residential customers. It started with optic fibre cable strapped to the neutral cable of the national grid to help its own Zesa controls with excess capacity sold commercially, although was very weak at the beginning with the “final mile” to customers.
Mr Nyagwande linked customer and stakeholder satisfaction directly to network reliability.
“Our backbone network availability reached an outstanding 99,89 percent, largely due to the deployment of backup power units, including solar panels,” he said.
“This year, we embarked on several key projects that have positioned us as a leader in innovation.
“We introduced new technologies, such as SD-WAN and smart water metering systems, while expanding our backbone network to an impressive 3 842 km, significantly enhancing our infrastructure.”
The introduction of Software-Defined Wide Area Networking offers businesses more agile, secure, and cost-effective management of their connections across multiple locations.
Mr Nyagwande commended his team for a year of exceptional performance, underpinned by key service delivery metrics.
