Econet Set To Launch 3G Cellular Service
2006-09-18 16:36:56 | Viewed 1720 times
Econet Wireless is set to launch the first Third Generation (3G) cellular service in Zimbabwe, placing the country among the few countries on the continent offering the service.
Chief executive officer Mr Douglas Mboweni said Econet had ordered equipment from Ericsson for an initial capacity of 50 000 lines, which will be over and above the additional 300 000 lines for normal cellular service. The company will start releasing the additional lines next month under its current US$20 million expansion programme to increase network capacity.
"Third generation service is the latest cellular technology which offers some remarkable new services that are not available on current technology. One of the key services available on 3G is video telephony, which is the ability for a person to see a real-time video of the person they are talking to if that person has a similar phone.
Mr Mboweni said:
"Whereas current technology allows people to send short data messages known as SMS, on a 3G phone it is possible to send and receive e-mail, access the Internet at high speed".
He said the introduction of the service will not only be a welcome development for local business executives but will also completely transform the way Zimbabweans communicate within a few years. An added attraction was that businesses would become more competitive.
By simply plugging in a SIM card into your computer, the subscriber can receive high-speed broad band Internet access.
However, 3G's coverage will in the nascent stages be limited to the major cities. Harare will be the first because of the high rollout costs. But the good news is that customers will be able to roam onto the normal service in areas without 3-G coverage.
Mr Mboweni added that work on expanding the existing cellular service was progressing well. The company had already developed 80 new base station sites which are now ready for the installation of new equipment, which was expected to be commissioned soon.
Econet is planning to start releasing new lines by end of October and to have sold most of them by the end of January 2007.
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2006-11-10 16:32:24
"Its good news 3G will be coming to Harare, Zimbabwe. However its about time Econet Wireless put a foot on the commercialization of their lines by the BLACK MARKET. How can a line cost more than mobile phone? Mobile operators in Zimbabwe have turned a blind eye on this issue; in developed countries GSM lines are almost for FREE, what you pay for is the MOBILE handset & mostly the SERVICE. I should be able to go to the market place & be able to get an Econet Line with no hassle as to the price and the unusually long queue. Make these lines avaliable to the whole country; the BLACK market will dissappear! Into thin air!"
Roy Gono from Harare