By 
By Ross Moyo
ZIDA, TelOne, and Powertel Communications are offering investors three broadband products worth US$340.1 million combined. This was revealed by the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) investment prospectus just released and expected to be implemented through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and strategic private-sector investment across Zimbabwe, covering rural, peri-urban, and urban markets. This is to solve low internet penetration by matching the right technology to the right market segment through these PPPs deploying wireless base stations, FTTH, and GPON-over-powerlines to reach 1.5 million users.
Zimbabwe’s broadband strategy is not one-size-fits-all. It’s three products, three technologies, and three business cases — each reviewed in the following.
The first Product 1 is TelOne Wireless Broadband Deployment with Investment required of US$263.2 million with a Target market of 500,000 rural and peri-urban users in Midlands, Manicaland, Masvingo, and Matabeleland South.The Tech spec focuses on 1,600 wireless base stations, BLMT PPP model. Revenue projection of US$2.9 billion and Return on investment ROI 60% is expected. Payback is set in 5 years with Regulatory edge Fastest deployment for low-density areas. This also uses licensed spectrum solving the “last village” problem without costly trenching and its key for universal service obligations under POTRAZ.
The second Product 2 is TelOne Fibre-to-the-Home Investment requiring US$50 million with a target market of 114,000 homes in urban and growth points nationwide. The Tech spec is also the FTTH rollout delivering symmetrical gigabit speeds and revenue projection of US$719 million. The Return in investment ROI of 47.1% is expected as payback in 4 years, 9 months. The regulatory edge future-proofs high-density areas for 4K streaming, cloud, and AI workloads. This aligns with smart city pilots and high-data government services.
The third Product 3 is Powertel GPON Investment requiring US$26.9 million with a target market of 900,000+ households and SMEs already connected to the electricity grid. Also the Tech spec is overhead optical fibre on existing ZESA infrastructur with GPON active equipment and revenue projection at US$231 million. The ROI is 56.94% and payback in 10 years. Regulatory edge cuts civil works capex by 40–60% versus trenching. This delivers what ZIDA calls “tactile internet” — highly available, reliable, secure, and fast — to a pre-qualified customer base.
The international Benchmark and Verdict combined, the three products push Zimbabwe toward the network performance seen in regional leaders like South Africa, where top operators exceed 90Mbps average downloads. The PPP structure, government endorsement, and link to Vision 2030 reduce regulatory risk for investors.
For regulators, the mix ensures technology neutrality and market segmentation. For business, it means product choice: wireless for reach, FTTH for premium speed, GPON for cost-efficient urban density. If ZIDA executes on procurement and oversight, this three-pronged upgrade moves Zimbabwe from policy to packets — and from pilot projects to paying users.
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