Speculation rife as Dolphin is licensed as fourth Zim mobile operator

Zim Now Writer

Market watchers and industry players are speculating as to which of the three mobile networks is partnering the new entrant after  Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz)’s granting of a mobile virtual network operator licence to Dolphin Telecoms.

“We have already secured an agreement with one mobile network operator, and our model aims to create a new layer of efficiency in the virtualisation space. Infrastructure sharing has been underutilised because of a failure to establish win-win models, but this is a problem we believe we have solved, as evidenced by the agreement we have secured,” Dolphin’s managing director, Nyasha Charumbira told a local social media news service.

Zimbabwe currently has three mobile network operators with Econet having the largest market share, easily shrugging off nearest rival  Netone which has been plagued by boardroom squabbles, while Telecel is moribund with talks of corporate rescue flying around.

Industry players that Zim Now spoke to believe that Dolphin is likely linked to Netone or Telecel and is setting to give Econet a run for its money.

“It makes sense that they would want to capitalise on the huge growth potential that is there by simply offering people who currently feel they have no option but to stick with a service provider that they are not satisfied with,” said the head of an IT gadget distribution company.

He said most clients complain about service quality from the mobile operators and would probably move over to a new player if they offer seamless migration.

Charumbira noted that out of nearly 6 million smartphone users in Zimbabwe, about 2.5 million are actively seeking custom data and calling packages, with some using multiple devices.

 “You have some users with a phone for WhatsApp and another one for phone calls. What they are saying is that we want the ability to customise our usage in a very tight way. So, our system will be ground-breaking in that regard and allow a single line to deliver the level of calling credit and data for particular services as required.

“We set out to build a highly effective customer service interface that brings cellular services in Zimbabwe to a new level — and we are happy to have accomplished this,” Charumbira said.

The mobile network operator says it has invested US$15 million, which will allow users to create highly customisable service bundles to suit their needs.

Mobile virtual network operators are telecommunication companies that do not erect base stations but utilise excess capacity from existing network operators.

This means that Dolphin’s service will be available  on the partner’s system and can also leverage on the other network's coverage following POTRAZ's directive for infrastructure sharing.

Dolphin, through their MD, said it was critical to improve access to voice, SMS, and data services at economic rates was critical to driving entrepreneurial growth and the company aims to develop partnerships with digital service providers to ride on its network.

 

 

 

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