Harare, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe’s leading telecommunications services provider, Econet Wireless, says artificial intelligence (AI) was a key enabler in supporting and accelerating its digital transformation in the country.
The company’s group secretary, Tatenda Ngowe, said this in a statement accompanying the group’s trading update for the third quarter ended November 30, 2025.
“As the adoption of digital solutions accelerates, the group remains committed to implementing AI-powered solutions to analyse customer usage trends and to design and deliver highly personalised solutions and services in real time.
“The business is strategically driving towards an autonomous network with capabilities that are designed to prevent and mitigate disruptions by using AI and machine learning. These capabilities enable the network to self-configure, self-optimise, self-heal, and self-learn, which all enhance network security and customer experience,” Ngowe said.
As the group plans new product offerings targeting both rural and urban communities, 103 base stations were opened during last year’s third quarter to November 30.
“The objective is to significantly improve coverage in areas historically challenged by poor connectivity and to meet the rising demand from urbanisation. The group continued to demonstrate resilience and adaptability in a changing digital landscape, remained committed to its strategic vision of becoming a leading digital services provider, investing in robust network infrastructure and intelligent, innovative technologies to meet the dynamic needs of customers.
“During the quarter, we introduced an additional 103 base stations and sites and of these, 27 are lightweight and cost-effective base stations across the country, targeting developing urban areas and rural communities. These installations form the backbone for future innovations, enabling the business to introduce new product offerings and activate a range of internet of things (IoT) use cases to unlock new markets,” Ngowe highlighted.
According to Ngowe, Econet Wireless completed the core network expansion for voice and data services, which she said will improve both data and voice service quality.
“We are in the final phase of commissioning a new billing and subscription platform to automate critical business processes and enable more personalised, customer-centric digital experiences, marking a significant shift from the traditional models.
“Ongoing investments in the network infrastructure, tailored customer initiatives, and efforts to expand both the mobile financial services footprint and mobile money wallet funding have been key in driving revenue growth across all major business segments,” she added.
Econet’s data usage remained the primary growth driver, registering an increase of more than 50 percent compared to the same period last year, while voice usage firmed by 35 percent over the comparative prior period.
Ngowe said the continuous growth in volumes underlined the need for proportionate network infrastructure capacitation and optimisation.
New Ziana
