PowerTel Communications is unfazed by the recent launch of Starlink in Zimbabwe and can compete with Starlink’s speeds and affordability.
This was said by Acting Managing Director Willard Nyagwande during a connectivity products briefing in Harare recently.
Nyagwande said that PowerTel has allocated US$10 million to improve the service and give it a much-needed competitive advantage. He said (via ZimLive):
The speed for Starlink goes up to 250 Mbps; it’s not a secret, ours can go up to Gigabit per second.
We can bring Starlink and our fibre here and do the test today, ours is faster.
Why would you invest in other technologies that are not all weather friendly?
I want you to be loyal to the most dependable technologies.
We also use the satellite and LEO, LTE, 5G Wireless radio technology to transmit and also fibre which is our primary technology using ZESA pylons which are dotted all over Zimbabwe.
Our clientele is the corporate world, the retail market and our drive called urban and rural datafication.
I want Zimbabweans to understand that our strategy is to give universal access to data as well as electricity.
Nyagwande also revealed that a 200km of ZESA and PowerTel line has been connected to Bikita Minerals.
About six months ago, PowerTel announced it was pursuing domestic and international partners for a new optical ground wire (OPGW) project aimed at improving internet connectivity.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), PowerTel is licenced by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) as a Class ‘A’ Internet Access Provider.
The company operates a comprehensive optic fibre backbone network, along with distribution and access networks that include both fibre and wireless technologies.
Experts suggest that fibre internet generally offers faster speeds than Starlink, with lower costs for fibre plans. However, its availability can be more limited.
More: Pindula News