95% of Zimbabweans now own cellphones as Govt pledges to build 650 base stations

Addressing journalists in Mutare on Sunday, Supa Mandiwanzira said Zimbabwe’s  mobile phone penetration had hit 95%. He however said that the number was unreliable since a number of people have two or three mobile lines each.

Mandiwanzira also said that the previous Cabinet approved a project to build 650 telecommunication towers in remote areas using resources from the Universal Services Fund. Said Mandiwanzira:

I think it is important first to give a picture where we are going in terms of mobile penetration. We are sitting just below 95%, that means almost everyone in Zimbabwe owns a mobile phone. But the statistics might be misleading because a number of people have two or three mobile lines each. When statistics are being compiled, it does not look at how many mobile phones one has. There are also areas that are lacking in coverage. We have a programme that has been approved by the Cabinet, where we are going to build 650 towers in such areas. Universal Services Fund is supposed to build telecommunications towers in areas regarded by operators as not viable.

More: NewsDay