TelOne Zimbabwe

TelOne Zimbabwe is a Telecommunications parastatal company owned by the Zimbabwe government[2] headquartered in Harare's Central Business District. It is the largest telecoms entity in Zimbabwe and has the second largest fixed line network in Southern Africa after Telkom South Africa.[3]

TelOne Zimbabwe
TypePublic company, State-owned corporation
IndustryCommunications Services
Founded1980
HeadquartersHarare, Zimbabwe
Key people
Chipo Mtasa[1] (Managing Director)
ProductsTelecommunications
Wireless and Wireline Broadband Services
Websitewww.telone.co.zw

TelOne core business revolves around provision of telecommunication services and products under three main brands, namely Broadband, Voice and Satellite. It is Zimbabwe’s sole fixed landline services provider with a wide network distribution with infrastructure in almost every corner of the country.[4][5]

History

TelOne formerly Posts and Telecommunications Corporation of Zimbabwe’s (PTC) history dates back to the early days of British colonial settlement in Zimbabwe. In 1892 the British South Africa Company (BSAC) organised the first postal service operation which ran the service as a self-governing entity under the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.[6]

In 1980, after Zimbabwe gained its independence, the Zimbabwe Postal Services Amendment Act which was promulgated through Statutory Instrument 175 was formulated and this led to the establishment of the Postal and Telecommunications Act to create the Posts and Telecommunications Corporation of Zimbabwe (PTC). PTC's core business was the provision of postal and telecommunications services.[7]

In 1987 legislation promulgated the unbundling of PTC into three different companies whose activities were commercialised. The commercialisation took place in 2000 with the breaking up of PTC into TelOne - a fixed telecommunications provider,[8] Net*One - a mobile network providing a cellular network and ZimPost – a postal services company. All these entities were regulated by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Ownership

TelOne is 100% owned by the government of Zimbabwe and it is run by the Ministry of Minister of Information Technology and Courier Services. The company is led by a board of directors who are appointed by the ministry. This board is led by a board chairperson, executive board members and non-executive board members.[9]

Size and infrastructure

TelOne is a key player in Zimbabwe’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) industry and its infrastructure provides the main backbone on which other service providers rely on. At the beginning of 2017 TelOne embarked on its US$98 million National Broadband (NBB) project which saw the expansion of its backbone fibre footprint.[10][11][12]

TelOne owns a wide range of telecommunications equipment, varying from various exchanges located around the country, optical fibre networks, radio network systems plus a wide range of high-tech networks including a satellite base station located in Mazowe area of Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe.[13]

Broadband infrastructure

TelOne operates as both an Internet Access Provider (IAP) providing transmission backhaul for mobile and data operators as well as an Internet Service Provider (ISP) as it retails and wholesales internet access thus becoming one of the biggest internet service providers in Zimbabwe.[14]

Satellite infrastructure

TelOne offers Satellite Broadband Solutions via C Band and Ka Band VSAT, an abbreviation for Very Small Aperture Terminal.[15]

Voice infrastructure

These are ordinary landlines used by both business and individual users. TelOne offers Zimbabwe’s largest fixed landline network in Zimbabwe. TelOne is Zimbabwe’s sole fixed landline services provider and has a wide network distribution with infrastructure in almost every corner of this country.

Factory

TelOne owns and operates a factory located in Msasa Industrial Park, Harare, Zimbabwe. The core business of this factory is the fabrication of various types of hardware and infrastructure equipment which supports telecommunications such as microwave towers; as well as the repair of telecommunication equipment such as telephone handsets, power supplies, etc.

TelOne Centre for Learning

In the 1950s, TelOne established a Centre for Learning, a training college that offers Diploma and Certificate studies in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) called TelOne’s Centre for Learning (TCFL). The institute’s main mandate from its inception in the 1950s, was to offer training to the organisation’s employees as well as to individuals and corporate customers.[16][17]

In 2002, the centre was certified as one of Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) Centres of Excellence by the Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission (SATCC), thereby enabling it to offer training services to the SADC region at large.[18]

The college runs a mixed mode system of training in all the regions in Zimbabwe and offers online courses for students living outside Harare. The TCFL is also affiliated to the Computer Society of Zimbabwe (CSZ) as an accredited ICDL training centre.

The College places premiums on distant learning for ICDL and other short courses, utilising blended learning which mixes physical campus learning with virtual learning in training its students. TCFL has recently introduced a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Telecommunications Engineering in conjunction with the National University of Engineering and Technology (NUST).[19]

TelOne products and services
  • Broadband (ADSL, FTTH, Public Wi-Fi, Leased Internet, VPN & International Private Leased Circuits)
  • Voice (Prepaid Fixed Line, Postpaid Fixed Line & VoIP and SIP Lines)
  • Satellite (Ka band, Ku Band & C Band)

Awards

Zimbabwe Investment Authority

  • Zimbabwean ICT Investor of the year 2017[20]

Contact Centre Association of Zimbabwe

  • Service Excellence Awards 2017
  • 2nd Runner Up in the ISP and IAP Sector 2017[21]

Zimbabwe Digital Awards

  • Best Internet Service Provider of the year 2017[22]

Debt recovery

In 2016, TelOne engaged several debt collectors to recover $165 million owed by its customers,[23] including $40 million owed by the government in unpaid telephone bills. The strategy managed a recovery of $100 million in a struggling economy.

Corporate social responsibility

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, TelOne supports charity organisations and donates food and clothing to children’s homes, and orphanages, and supports under-privileged children by paying their school fees.[24][25]

Wholesale

TelOne's wholesale unit provides global telecommunication services for fixed and mobile operators, ISPs and content providers. It also develops services for carriers including Voice, IP, Capacity, Satellite, Mobility, Security and Digital solutions, and Platforms. TelOne's Wholesale Services provides data, IP, and network transport services for national telecommunications carriers, cable companies, content providers, and mobile wireless companies.

References
  1. "Terms of Service Violation". www.bloomberg.com.
  2. "TelOne to switch to pre-paid billing - The Zimbabwe Independent". www.theindependent.co.zw.
  3. "TelOne Now has two new services". September 27, 2017.
  4. "TelOne Completes First Phase Of Area Codes Migration » 263Chat". 29 May 2018.
  5. "TelOne sets new area codes countrywide - The Chronicle". www.chronicle.co.zw.
  6. "The Evolution of Telecommunication in Zimbabwe – TechnoMag". Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  7. Digital, Zimpapers. "TelOne clings to 300 000 subscribers - The Sunday Mail". www.sundaymail.co.zw.
  8. "Company Overview - About Us | Telone". www.telone.co.zw.
  9. "About TelOne - Telone". www.telone.co.zw.
  10. "TelOne launches National Broadband Backbone (NBB) project - NewsDay Zimbabwe". www.newsday.co.zw.
  11. "TelOne leads Zimbabwe's infrastructure sharing, creates division to manage Africom, NetOne, ZETDC infrastructure - Techzim". 15 July 2016.
  12. "TelOne Data Centre Launched - News of the South". newsofthesouth.com.
  13. eDuzeNet. "TelOne fibre optic project complete".
  14. "National Broadband upgrade set for completion".
  15. eDuzeNet. "TelOne broadband via satellite to grow revenue :: Harare24 News". harare24.com.
  16. "Telone Graduates 47 students, Offers Degree programme Next year. – TechnoMag". Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  17. "How to apply for the new diplomas and courses at TelOne Centre for Learning (TCFL) - The Financial Gazette". 4 December 2017.
  18. Compuworks. "Centers of Excellence". www.sata-sec.net.
  19. "TelOne sets up research lab at Nust – Update News – News at the speed of Live".
  20. "TelOne Scoops Top ZIA Award – TechnoMag". Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  21. "ZOL Zimbabwe wins Service Excellence Award - The Chronicle". www.chronicle.co.zw.
  22. "Winners of the Zimbabwe Digital Awards 2017 - CITE - #ASAKHE". 13 July 2017.
  23. "TelOne to get aggressive on debtors after $123mln recoveries in 2016 - The Source". 13 February 2017.
  24. "NetOne Embarks On A Series Of Social Corporate Responsibility Programs". 5 June 2018.
  25. "TelOne Donates Bins, Tree Seedlings To Great Zimbabwe University – TechnoMag". Retrieved 2019-09-03.
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