The Zimbabwe Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz) yesterday said its doors are open for Starlink to operate in Zimbabwe after the US-headquartered company expressed interest in establishing its own internet services in the country.
The TRA said Zimbabwe, under the Second Republic, was committed to ensuring universal and affordable internet connectivity for all citizens.
Dr. Gift Machinegate, Director General of Botraz, said in a statement that the authority has no intention of blocking Starlink, but is awaiting a request from the company owned by the richest man in the world, Mr. Elon Musk.
“They have expressed interest in providing services in Zimbabwe and have been provided with all relevant information to submit their application. They have not done so yet. This means that their services they are providing in Zimbabwe are illegal.”
Hence, Dr Machingate said, anyone using Starlink in Zimbabwe would be breaking the law and face consequences.
“The public and key stakeholders should not fall into the trap of relying on flawed information intended to unduly influence policy and regulatory decisions relating to the provision of telecommunications services in Zimbabwe.
“We would like to urge our valued stakeholders to verify all information related to postal, telecommunications and courier services with us, before treating it as fact as some of it may be harmful and may create unwarranted panic and despair,” he said.
Dr Machingate also clarified the perception that tariffs are expensive in Zimbabwe compared to their regional counterparts following recent social media posts, some containing unconfirmed figures, which depicted data or internet charges as being the highest in the region.
“First, it is necessary to disclose that the tariff comparisons carried out by Potraz are based on out-of-bundle or headline tariffs of the various offers in the region.
“This is because out-of-bundle fees more reflect the cost of providing services, enabling the authority to strike a balance between affordability of the service and operator continuity. It is therefore the more objective criterion for comparison purposes.
The Authority refrains from using data packages for comparison as this may be misleading.
“This is because bundled services are usually discounted and may come with freebies and fringe gifts whose intrinsic value may be difficult to determine.
He added: “Therefore, bundled services do not necessarily reflect the cost of providing services, but are promotional in nature as they are designed for strategic business reasons that include customer acquisition and retention, among other things.” Announce
