Zimbabwe: Rising Prices of Telephone Services Limit Communication And Freedom of Expression

18 November, 2008 in Zimbabwe

source: allAfrica
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek)
PRESS RELEASE
14 November 2008
Posted to the web 17 November 2008

MISA Zimbabwe notes with great concern the appalling state of fixed and mobile telephone networks in Zimbabwe.

The sole fixed telephone network, run by the state-owned company TelOne, is in an appalling state of affairs with erratic coverage in urban areas and is virtually non-existent in rural areas. This has inadvertently led to a major increase in the use of mobile telephones by the majority of Zimbabweans from all socio-economic and geographic backgrounds. The three mobile telephone networks (Econet Wireless, Telecel, and the state-owned Net One) have, however, failed to cope with the market demand for their services in Zimbabwe’s hyperinflationary environment.

On 6 November 2008, Econet Wireless published a statement in the local print media withdrawing its contract line services for clients under the Business Partna scheme as of 10 November, a move which has left [continue reading]