Econet to launch 3G in Zimbabwe
September 18, 2006
Econet Wireless will early next year introduce 3G cellular service for the first time in Zimbabwe initially targeting Harare before extending to other major urban centers. Zimbabwe will become one of the only few African countries to roll out 3G service on the continent. In Africa, the only known countries that have so far introduced full 3G service are South Africa and Mauritius.
Chief Executive Officer Douglas Mboweni said Econet has 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 that the company will start releasing from next month under its current US$20 million expansion program to increase network capacity from 500 000 to 800 000.
"Third Generation service is the latest cellular technology and it offers some remarkable new services that cannot be offered 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. Whereas current technology allows people to send short data messages known as SMS, on a 3G phone it is possible to send and receive email, access the Internet at high speed, and also watch video clips," Mboweni said.
In Zimbabwe, Econet expects that top business executives, and professionals will be the main users for the new service. To be able to use the service a person will have to buy a special 3G phone which are already available on the market.
Mboweni said Econet is urging customers who want to be able to use the service to start buying their 3G phones now. "From now on if you are planning to buy a new cell phone and want to use these new services it makes sense to invest in a 3G phone. They look the same as normal cell phones but they have this additional capability," he said.
He said the introduction of 3G service by Econet will not only be a welcome development for local business executives but will also completely transform the way Zimbabweans communicate within a few years, and also make Zimbabwean business more competitive. "Our business people, professionals, and senior government officials need to have the most advanced communication tools if they are to be competitive and efficient."
He explained that talking to someone on the phone will not only be a simple matter of speaking into the phone but one will now have the option to actually see the person if they have a similar phone. "Whilst the idea of seeing a loved one as you talk to them is priceless from a business point of view there are many other benefits for such a service," he explained. "You can now visit a place and show your colleagues what you are seeing in real time allowing them to ask questions. You can also demonstrate products to people far away. A serviceman can look at a problem and if he does not understand it he can video it and show a colleague back at the office, thus saving time and money."
Although video telephony is the most exciting feature of 3G, it has not been the most widely used feature in other countries. It is rather the ability to use wireless high speed Internet. By simply plugging a SIM card into your computer you can receive high speed broad band Internet access. It is even possible using the technology to download and watch films on your computer, said Mboweni.
Econet will initially push the 3G service into the high end of market as part of its Business Partna service which is aimed at businessmen, top executives, and senior government officials. This is because the handsets required for 3G are expensive compared to the normal cellular service. The company is however planning to introduce a pre-paid version for Buddie and Libertie users sometime next year. There are also technical issues to be overcome over how to bill pre-paid customers.
Although coverage for 3G will be limited to major cities because of the cost of roll-out, one key feature of the service is that if you have a 3G phone and it finds there is no 3G service it immediately switches to the normal cellular system, and becomes an ordinary cell phone allowing you to make voice calls and send SMS.
He said that although 3G will have a limited coverage initially, the service will allow a customer to roam onto the normal service when there is no coverage for 3G. "We are only going to have 3G in major cities because the cost of roll out is very high. This is what is happening in the rest of the world, but when you get out of 3G coverage you can still make normal phone calls. It is not possible to roam from the normal service to 3G."
Mboweni also said that work on the expansion of the normal cellular service was progressing well and the company has already developed 80 new base station sites which are now ready for new equipment to be installed and commissioned soon. Econet is planning to start releasing lines by the end of October and to have sold most of the lines by the end of January 2007.
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