ZIMBABWE’S second largest mobile phone operator Telecel Zimbabwe has the fastest mobile broadband speed in the country’s major cities as competition for value added services in the telecommunications sector intensifies, a recent study by an online technology news service has shown.
BUSINESS REPORTER
According to the results of a survey reported by Technology Zimbabwe (TechZim), Telecel has overtaken its main rivals Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and state-owned NetOne in providing the increasingly popular broadband services in urban centres.
Broadband refers to the wide bandwidth characteristics of a transmission medium and its ability to transport multiple signals and traffic types simultaneously.
A summary of the survey showed the average speed of Telecel’s data to be 1 473,676 kbps, while the average Econet speed was 1 297,519 and average NetOne speed was 1 231,71. Africom’s average speed was 1 181,77 kbps, while Powertel’s was 484,045.
“According to the results, Telecel, of all the mobile operators that grace our country with their service, is not only the fastest service provider in terms of internet speed, but the most reliable as well.
They had a handy speed of 1,5 mbps if you are in Harare, Bulawayo or Mutare. The speed will to drop faster than a stone to well below 1 mbps if you leave any of these areas,” said TechZim in a statement.
Efforts to get comment from Telecel, Econet and NetOne were in vain at the time of going to print.
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The survey rated Econet second, in terms of speed, followed by NetOne, then Africom, with Powertel the slowest, but with a consistent speed of around 512 kbps.
In terms of reliability, the survey found Telecel to be the most reliable mobile broadband service provider, followed by Powertel. Econet was ranked third for reliability, followed by NetOne then Africom.
The survey also found that 61% of people use their mobile internet for general surfing and social media applications such as whatsapp, with only 4% of those surveyed saying they read their e-mail on their mobile phones while 13% used it for business.
