It wasn’t too long ago that we were all complaining about the quality of service Econet was providing. Indeed, some still voice these concerns, but most of us should have noticed a significant improvement.
I’m one of those who have seen these improvements. I don’t make enough regular voice calls to comment on any reductions in call drop rates, but when it comes to internet reliability, I’m well placed to share my experience. I’ve been a happy camper these past few months.
The first major change I noticed in my neighborhood was the introduction of Econet 5G.
This came with improvements. I’m enjoying incredible speeds and have only experienced a single slowdown, which happened on a day even Liquid Telecom faced issues.
In the past, only those lucky enough to win the “neighborhood lottery” got to enjoy such service. Econet claims to have turned this around. They’ve been on an upgrading spree, and most users should be seeing the benefits.
Econet network modernisation
Econet’s capital expenditure for the financial year ending February 2024 amounted to ZW$1.9 trillion (approximately US$127 million), a substantial 363% increase compared to ZW$0.4 trillion in 2023.
It seems this rate of expenditure has continued into the current year. I got 5G after the February 2024 cutoff for the reported figure of roughly US$127 million.
The capital expenditure was primarily directed towards the network modernization program. Key investments included:
- Upgrading network infrastructure: Over 1,012 sites were modernized with 4G high-capacity base stations, focusing on Harare, Bulawayo, and the entire Manicaland region. Econet plans to modernize another 550 base stations after February.
- Installation of new base stations: 50 new base station sites were added, expanding network coverage and likely improving service quality.
- 5G deployment: 5 new 5G base stations were installed during the year, bringing the total to 27. I received 5G service after this, so more 5G base stations have been added since February 2024.
- Renewable energy solutions: Efforts continued to deploy renewable energy solutions to address power outages and maintain high uptime at base stations.
What this means
The above explains why Econet is confident that network challenges should be a thing of the past for most users.
Notably, Econet was also provided with spectrum in the 700 MHz range by the telecoms regulator. As Econet puts it, “Spectrum refers to radio frequencies present in the air that telecom companies use to provide connectivity services.”
Econet says the 700 MHz band will “extend the coverage of existing base stations to serve customers who are at the periphery of the current coverage limit.”
You see, the 700 MHz frequency band can travel longer distances and penetrate buildings, walls, and other obstacles more effectively than higher frequency bands.
It’s excellent for expanding coverage in both rural and urban areas where building new infrastructure might be costly. In other words, it allows Econet to provide reliable service across wider areas with fewer base stations.
As you can see, 700 MHz is a big deal. Here are some of its benefits in short:
- For Econet, this spectrum allows better network traffic management and the capacity to handle future increases in data traffic and support emerging technologies.
- We will experience stronger signals inside buildings, leading to fewer dropped calls and better data connectivity indoors.
- We can expect consistent service even in congested areas, as Econet can offload some capacity from the frequency bands currently in use to the newly allocated 700 MHz range.
One horse race
Econet has long acknowledged that the challenges we were facing were real. Back in 2021, they said:
Our infrastructure requires continuous improvement in order to continue providing service at the quality and scale demanded by our customers. This has not been possible in the current environment due to the unavailability of foreign currency.
There were years of underinvestment, and we all noticed it. But Econet seems to have found a way around this problem.
We’re all aware that the foreign currency shortage hasn’t really been resolved. In fact, it’s predicted to worsen with the government talking about accelerating de-dollarization efforts.
So, if it’s not because foreign currency is suddenly more available, how did Econet solve the puzzle? Partnerships, that’s how. As Econet stated:
Our strategic partnerships with key equipment vendors have enabled us to accelerate our current network modernization program after several years of underinvestment.
We don’t have the details of these partnerships, but it’s clear there wouldn’t be any upgrades without them.
My concern is that Zimbabwe’s telecoms race is going to become even more lopsided than it already is. It’s not just Econet whose equipment was outdated—the competition is facing the same problem.
With both NetOne and Telecel performing poorly, are they in a position to secure partnerships that would allow them to upgrade their own networks? I think it’s a tall order, short of the government injecting money it doesn’t have into these companies.
Econet is only going to increase its dominance. But perhaps that won’t be the case, and maybe I just won the neighbourhood lottery this time around. I’m curious to know if you’ve experienced the improvements these upgrades should bring.
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