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Govt monitoring mobile phone operators

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INFORMATION and Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira has said the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has installed equipment to monitor the quality of services from mobile phone operators and issues of data bundles mysteriously disappearing.

INFORMATION and Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira has said the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has installed equipment to monitor the quality of services from mobile phone operators and issues of data bundles mysteriously disappearing.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) minister Supa Mandiwanzira

Mandiwanzira said telecommunication companies were buying bandwidth from firms outside the country resulting in prices in Zimbabwe being inflated. He was responding to Chitungwiza North MP, Godfrey Sithole (MDC-T) during the question-and-answer session in the National Assembly on Wednesday, who had asked why the price of data was still high.

“It is expensive because we are a landlocked country and bandwidth goes in undersea cables, which pass through other countries, where we pay high premiums,” Mandiwanzira responded.

“What we have done is that, there is a survey being carried out to find out the charges levied on people and the extent they can be justified, looking at that the cost of data is unsustainable. Disappearance of airtime is a huge concern and the regulator has installed equipment that will monitor the quality of services, including pricing.” He said Potraz was investigating allegations that equipment was being tampered with in order to short-change users.

Luveve MP, Ntandoyenkosi Mlilo (Zanu PF) asked Mandiwanzira to explain if a system was in place to monitor mobile money inflows.

“Mobile money operators are also regulated by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, so there is dual regulation. We have received complaints from the public that the biggest purveyors of cash are mobile money operators and we have said to the regulator, we do not want the sector tainted and they must ensure we have a clean sector,” Mandiwanzira said