LOCALLY , THERE HAS BEEN AN UPSURGE IN CAPACITY UTILISATION AND OVERALL INDUSTRIAL GROWTH .
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LOCALLY , THERE HAS BEEN AN UPSURGE IN CAPACITY UTILISATION AND OVERALL INDUSTRIAL GROWTH .
lucrative segment to which ISPs can offer their services .
By way of example , Dandemutande ’ s core strength is its provision of enterprise grade connectivity to the corporate market and we are now extending this capability to the SME market . Through Utande we offer a suite of products that speaks directly to SME requirements for cost effective , reliable Internet services , IT consultation to optimise business processes as well as efficient process and systems sensitive to the time and cost constraints of SME ’ s .
To fully take advantage of Zimbabwe ’ s growth prospects , small businesses will need to harness the full range of digital technologies to achieve true competiveness and long-term sustainability .
In addition to the opportunities for growth within the SME sector , rural connectivity rightly remains a key focus area for governments across the continent . Zimbabwe is no different and efforts to bridge the divide between rural and urban access to technology is one of the key focus areas of the Zimbabwean government ’ s Post and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority ( POTRAZ ), which this year intends to reduce the terrestrial coverage gap by at least 25 % through strategic partnerships with licensed operators .
Going forward we can expect to see more active participation in connecting rural communities through deployment of VSAT solutions either through government-related initiatives and direct to market solutions , particularly in the education , mining and agricultural sectors . As further investment becomes available there will be even more opportunities for providers to play a key role in connecting rural communities to aid in economic growth in Zimbabwe .
While the country certainly has its challenges to overcome , there is definite interest in the opportunities technology can create to grow Zimbabwe ’ s foothold in a globally connected economy and this includes IoT and fibre . While Zimbabwe ’ s depressed economy has possibly limited the uptake of IoT to date , it is clear that there is no way any economy can avoid it , so we expect greater developments in the coming years on IoT .
Already there is a definite move towards embracing IoT and its revenue potential in all sectors including transportation , manufacturing , mining and agriculture .
One of the first sectors to drive the uptake of IoT are security-based solutions such as vehicle tracking systems and household surveillance . There is also increased interest and uptake in RFID and satellite tracking solutions , advanced CCTV video analytics and telemetry , as well as building management systems .
At present fibre deployment has been limited to the main urban centres such as Harare and Bulawayo , however the demand for infrastructure and a country wide network has caused growth beyond non-traditional areas . A major thrust of POTRAZ is the sharing of infrastructure among licensed providers to enhance the fibre footprint in Zimbabwe . Providers that embrace this strategy and take further steps to deploy their own fibre are far more likely to enjoy a greater share in what will be a growing market for some time to come .
Overall , the new growth trajectory for Zimbabwe will allow first-rate service providers to increase their local and regional footprint through the provision of quality connectivity products that support large corporate and business customers while also being conscious of new opportunities in a bourgeoning SME sector looking towards a brighter Zimbabwean future . •
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