Less than a tenth of households in Chitungwiza are connected to TelOne, a cabinet minister said last week, urging the state-owned operator to step up connections.
BY TARISAI MANDIZHA
Speaking at the official opening of TelOne client’s services shop at Chitungwiza Town Centre, Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Webster Shamu said 7 024 out of 87 103 households were connected to TelOne saying the company should bridge the gap.
“We need to move in further for fixed lines to be available in each and every household. We want to uplift the standards of living in Chitungwiza, the whole of Zimbabwe and the whole of Sadc,” Shamu said.
TelOne managing director Chipo Mtasa said the statistics have challenged the company and “we are ready to do work in Chitungwiza”.
Shamu said the world was gearing towards a digital future where everyone was communicating via their computer, laptop or smartphone.
He said ICTs were playing an instrumental role in transforming lives and government identified the sector as one of the pillars of the economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset).
He however, said the move by TelOne to open a one-stop-shop was welcome as residents would benefit immensely from “affordable, reliable and superfast services” on offer.
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The new centre offers the provision of client services, bill payment, enquiries, ADSL top ups, a wifi hotspot and internet café, agent services for prepaid electricity vouchers on behalf of Zesa and an agent of NetOne’s One Wallet services, along with their products and services.
TelOne chairperson Charles Shamu said TelOne has plans to open more outlets throughout the year. To date, TelOne has opened outlets at shopping malls such as Kamfinsa, Pomona and Westgate in Harare, he said.
“We conducted an extensive feasibility study to better understand the business and residential communication needs of Chitungwiza. The town centre is also fast becoming a hive of activity and this necessitated us to open this outlet for the Chitungwiza community,” said Charles Shamu.
He added that TelOne have completed a broadband project for 500 households which complements the already existing network of approximately 2 300 households.
