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By Ross Moyo
Telecontract has taken Econet to court over allegations of unfairly blocking its network traffic, claiming the move is causing significant financial harm and threatening its business operations.
The dispute between the two telecommunications giants has been ongoing since January 2026, with Telecontract experiencing a sudden disruption of network traffic on January 20, 2026.
“The point in limine fails. The matter is ruled as urgent and must therefore be accorded appropriate prioritisation,” said Justice Joseph Chilimbe, dismissing Econet’s preliminary objection that the matter was not urgent.
The court further observed that Econet had not definitively concluded that the blocked calls constituted refilling. According to Telecontract’s founding affidavit, the relationship between the companies had functioned smoothly for years and generated “material traffic volumes and revenues” for both parties.
In its court papers, Telecontract said the disruptions were causing significant financial harm. The company said it was “bleeding revenue” after experiencing a 17 percent collapse in traffic volumes, warning that the situation also posed “the graver threat of customer attrition”.
Econet opposed the urgent application, arguing that the matter was not urgent and that the traffic block had been imposed for legitimate reasons. However, the court ruled that the dispute involved commercial urgency due to the potential financial and reputational harm arising from network disruptions.
The judge noted that Econet had indicated it would continue monitoring and potentially restricting traffic where suspicious activity was detected. “The above excerpt confirms that Econet intends to, and feels justified to sustain the disruptions,” the court said.
Telecontract has approached the court seeking an interim order compelling Econet to restore full interconnection services and remove unauthorised restrictions on its network traffic pending resolution of the dispute by the sector regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).
The dispute involves a 2011 Interconnection Agreement under which Telecontract and Econet exchange voice traffic between their respective telecommunications networks for inbound and outbound call termination.
The outcome of this case will have significant implications for the telecommunications industry in Zimbabwe, with potential consequences for consumers and businesses alike.
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