Are TelOne and NetOne the same?

Are TelOne and NetOne the same? In 1890 the British South Africa Company (BSAC) set up the post and telecommunications. It was an independent company that operated under the Ministry of Post and telecommunications.

When Zimbabwe got independence in 1980, a new amendment to the constitution gave way to the birth of the Post and Telecommunications Company (PTC). After almost two decades the PTC was unbundled into three entities which were TelOne, NetOne, and Zimpost. TelOne operates the largest network of fixed-line telephony in Zimbabwe.

NetOne on the other hand is Zimbabwe’s first mobile network provider. Zimpost is in charge of postal services. All three companies are owned by the Zimbabwean government and each have a board of directors appointed by the Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Does TelOne have the internet?

There are seven main companies providing internet in Zimbabwe and TelOne is one of the largest. With the background of a wide network of fixed-line equipment, TelOne has very extensive coverage across Zimbabwe when it comes to the internet. The company offers both ADSL and fibre optic WiFi packages. TelOne also has a mobile broadband service dubbed TelOne Blaze.

It uses LTE and via a MiFi router offering capped and uncapped packages. Over and above that, TelOne provides broadband at wholesale to other Internet Service Providers. The other broadband wholesalers in Zimbabwe are Dandemutande, Liquid Telecom(a subsidiary of Econet Wireless), Africom, and ZARnet (owned by Telecel international).

Does NetOne have 4G?

NetOne has the country’s second largest 4G coverage after Econet Wireless. Telecel has the third largest coverage. In a study, a speed test was carried out to find which mobile network provider has the fastest network. The list was topped by Econet Wireless which had a download speed of 7.6Mbps.

NetOne’s speed was topping at 6.5Mbps. Telecel followed at a distant third with a speed of 1.91Mbps. NetOne is now preparing to launch 5G, the latest standard in the GSM network. Econet has already launched their 5G and they are currently rolling it out through the country with the help of their partner, Ericsson. Their 5G has recorded a speed of up to 3000Mbps. Zimbabwe is the third African country to launch 5G.

Are TelOne and NetOne for sale?

TelOne and NetOne have had their fair share of challenges over the years. The finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, instructed the sale of over 30 government companies that have not been profitable. Among those thirty companies, NetOne and TelOne were included.

It has not been easy to sell the two companies because of the debt they have accumulated over the years, most of which was spent on acquiring new equipment to improve coverage. The downward spiral of the two companies has been a result of poor management and a lack of investment from the government. There is a current offer in which the two companies are being sold as a bundle yet there still seems to be no interest from private buyers or other governments.