If Telecel Zimbabwe’s progress was a technology, it certainly was 56k dial up technology, tele dialing at snail pace to invent its new word termed by many Telesnail.
The giant of yester year and Zimbabwe’s most promising MNO has unfortunately been allowed to lay to rest, literally, while it has aggressively fought for its gasps of air, it seems no one from the shareholders seem to notice or care, the auto pilot button has been hit and the captain jumped ship.
This is the sad state of Telecel!
And no one is taking responsibility!
At one point in time, Telecel Zimbabwe was the fastest growing mobile network, quarter by quarter, Potraz recorded serious subscriber jump, it was the only real threat to Econet Wireless shaking up the market with great innovation and bespoke technology.
The red brand was sizzling hot and ready to take over the market, no one matched their creativity and product lines with robust network infrastructure.
To date they have a couple of 4g base stations in Harare and few more in other towns and cities. Those 3g base stattions that are still functioning, would be lucky if they are still in service as half the time they can not afford basic fuel to keep them running.
The investor has abandoned ship, expecting base station capitalization and network remodeling to be done through sale of airtime juice cards.
Management under the same circumstances has been found wanting, making it impossible to turn around the unit.
Netone has received more than USD $600million yet Econet has invested more than a billion in the last 5years, but for Telecel a figure shy below $50 million and one wonders who really owns this company?
Why did the government buy an asset they are not willing to invest in ?
What is Economic Cooperation doing to protect their own shareholding capital if at all they care about it .
If these two have surely failed to recapitalize the vihecle what does it take to find a serious telecoms investor to take over the asset and bring back life to the Mobile network.
The deafening silence over Telecel Zimbabwe is a cause of concern that actually demands the President of the republic to intervene over and make statement or broker deals that brings back the company to life before we lose more employment as the future has been gloomy and doomed.
But this is not a natural problem, it was man made, so it demands that its man fixed and move the asset forward.
Comments