The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
TELECOMS regulatory board — the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) — is spearheading the relocation of base stations to ensure universal access of mobile network services across the country.
The move will see mobile network service providers NetOne, Econet and Telecel splitting costs and sharing base stations.
In an interview with The Manica Post on the sidelines of the commissioning of Machongwe NetOne Base Station in Chimanimani last week on Friday, Potraz director general, Dr Gift Machengete said all the service providers are now ready to play ball.
“At some sites, we have three base stations, one for NetOne, one for Econet and one for Telecel. We are now working on decommissioning some of them to leave a single one at each site. We will relocate the other base stations to other areas, especially in remote parts of the country to ensure universal access of telecom services.
“All new base stations will be equipped with infrastructure that will allow service providers to share. The Machongwe Base Station allows for that.
“As the regulatory board, we will fully fund the decommissioning and relocation of base stations. This will eliminate the need for huge capital expenditure in setting up new base stations,” said Dr Machengete.
He said it is Potraz’s duty to ensure universal coverage to complement Government’s efforts in rolling out e-programmes in line with Vision 2030.
Infrastructure sharing was mooted in 2014 when Potraz crafted a consultation paper which highlighted that a shared infrastructure framework would facilitate the attainment of universal access to reliable and affordable broadband and other ICT services in line with technological developments.
NetOne and Econet penned an infrastructure sharing Memorandum of Agreement in June 2019 after years of negotiations.
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere hailed the infrastructure sharing initiative.
“This will no doubt promote employment creation by enhancing distribution and access channels. I have also been advised that the Machongwe Tower has already been provisioned for infrastructure sharing, meaning that the other operators — Econet and Telecel — are free to utilise this same infrastructure and install their equipment on this base station, which is cost effective.
“Improved access to ICTs will not only promote growth and development within constituencies, but will also have spill over benefits on the overall growth and development of Zimbabwe,” said Dr Muswere.
“The world is being driven by innovation and ICTs. Therefore ICTs are key fundamentals in the attainment of Vision 2030.
“As the ICT, Postal and Courier Services Ministry, our mandate is to use information technologies and communication solutions to improve the livelihoods of all Zimbabweans, irrespective of location, hence the investment in the necessary infrastructure in both rural and urban centres,” said the minister.
Both Drs Muswere and Machengete called for the safeguarding of the infrastructure against vandalism.
“All benefiting communities should jealously guard these base stations against vandalism.
“It is their property and they stand to lose out if they allow people to vandalise them. ICTs are integral in disaster preparedness and mitigation.
“While natural disasters may be difficult to prevent, their effects may be lessened through ICT enabled early warning systems that predict the occurrence of a disaster and warn relevant authorities.
“This enables people to be evacuated, thus limiting the number of casualties or avoiding them.
“When disasters strike, ICTS are essential in enabling people to send distress calls and give rescue workers their accurate locations through GPS systems on mobile phones,” said Dr Machengete.
