JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-The Zimbabwean Ministry of Transport and Communications has ruled out the possibility of licensing a fourth mobile network operator in the near future.
Dr. Witness Mangwende, the minister of transport and communications, said flatly: “There will be no fourth mobile operator.”
The minister failed to give any possible reasons for the decision but hinted that the ministry is currently occupied with the privatization of the fixed-line network Net*One and the establishment of an improved regulatory environment.
The statement by the minister goes against earlier efforts made by the regulator, The Postal and Telecommunications regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ), to make room for an additional mobile operator.
Zimbabwe has three mobile operators, Econet Wireless, Telecel and the mobile arm of state-owned Net*One. The networks have recently been under some severe criticism from subscribers due to perceived poor service levels characterized by network congestion, limited coverage and high tariffs.
