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ZIMBABWE’S telecoms regulator, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz), has said that in 2015 it expects to develop a National Broadband Plan with the help of operators and other broadband ecosystem “stakeholders’”The acting director general, Baxton Sirewu, said the national broadband emphasizes “the vital role of broadband in underpinning national competitiveness”, and that the main aim is to extend the national footprint of broadband networks as well as drive increased usage of broadband-enabled services and applications.

According to Sirewu, one of the issues that has helped the regulator to finally see the need for a plan (beyond that every progressive nation is doing it that is) is the realisation that broadband is a catalyst for economic growth and that it “facilitates the provision of services in all sectors of the economy such as e-learning, e-farming, e-agriculture, e-commerce, e-health, e-government”

“We’re happy that the regulator is finally doing something about broadband development and that they have some lessons to learn from.
“The market has been able to advance significantly without a plan of course but guidelines that ensure some needs are not forgotten and that the country is as efficient as possible in using the limited resources it has to provide access to more people would also be great for the plan to deliberately address how content and entrepreneurship based on access will be stimulated and sustained. — TechZim