By 
By Ross Moyo
If you’ve ever had a call drop at 2pm or watched WhatsApp freeze during load-shedding, you’ve felt Econet’s biggest enemy: electricity.
New internal data from Econet’s AI team now quantifies it. 60% of all network faults come from power problems.
That one stat is forcing the country’s largest mobile operator to rethink its entire energy model.
FROM ZESA-DEPENDENT TO ENERGY-INDEPENDENT
Econet is rolling out an extensive power infrastructure programme built on 2 pillars: Artificial Intelligence and Solar.
AI flagged the problem. Solar and batteries are the fix.
The company is installing solar + long-duration battery storage at base stations nationwide. The goal is simple: keep the network up even when the grid is down.
But the headline project is in Harare. Econet is planning a 100MW solar + battery facility to power its core switching and data centres. That’s utility-scale, and enough to rival a small town’s demand.
“Work is advancing very well on all fronts, and we expect to have this locked down within six months,” said Fayaz King, CEO of Econet InfraCo.
“By this time next year, we expect to have reduced power-related network faults to less than 10%.”
Grid power from ZESA won’t disappear. It will become the backup.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR DIGITAL ZIMBABWE*
This isn’t just about better calls.
1. Customer Experience: Fewer dropped calls and faster, more stable data
2. Digital Economy: Banks, fintech, health and govt services all ride on Econet’s uptime
3. Capex Strategy: Owning power reduces opex volatility from diesel and tariffs
4. AI Loop: The same AI that found the problem will now monitor the new energy systems in real time
Econet is essentially treating power as part of its network, not as an external utility.
THE BIGGER SIGNAL
Telecoms across Africa are going off-grid. But a 100MW plant is one of the boldest moves on the continent.
If Econet hits its target of <10% power faults by 2027, it sets a new benchmark for network quality in a power-deficit market. It also proves that AI isn’t just for chatbots — it’s for finding the $100m problem hiding in your logs.
For 5G, cloud, and smart city plans to work in Zimbabwe, the network can’t go dark when ZESA does.
With solar, batteries, and AI, Econet is wiring itself for that future.
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