News / National
Econet data traffic volumes up 90%
08 Jan 2021 at 07:50hrs | Views
LISTED telecommunications giant, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (EWZ) has registered a 90% upturn in data traffic on the backdrop of shifting Covid-19 linked work patterns by locals.
Zimbabwe has been on different levels of lockdowns since March 2020 prompting a shift in work patterns in favour of home-based workstations.
The education sectors have also joined the bandwagon as learning has shifted from the conventional classroom walls to online platforms.
Presenting a trading update this week for the third quarter ended November 30, 2020, EWZ company secretary, Charles Banda said the company has drawn dividends from the obtaining environment.
"Our past investment in resilient network infrastructure has positioned us to be the digital connectivity partner of choice. We continue to enable our customers to work and learn from home whilst observing social distancing etiquette. This is reflected in the data traffic volumes which have increased by 89.5% from the previous year," he said.
The EWZ boss said the pandemic has helped the group to understand the opportunities presented by digitalisation.
"While managing the risks, we are also alive to the opportunities presented by Covid-19, particularly the accelerated need for digitalisation across all business sectors. Telecommuting and serving our customers through digital channels have become our preferred way of doing business. 80% of our staff continue to work from home with sustained high productivity," said Banda.
The group observed a decline in voice traffic volumes following the tariff adjustments in July 2020 and August 2020. However, they have since started to recover.
During the period under review, growth was experienced in SMS volumes reflecting the increased adoption and usage of e-commerce platforms which drives customer SMS interactions.
"As we go into the next decade, we are intensifying our efforts to adapt our business model to deliver digital solutions. The next few years will be pivotal to our transformation from a communications service provider to a digital service provider," added Banda.
Zimbabwe has been on different levels of lockdowns since March 2020 prompting a shift in work patterns in favour of home-based workstations.
The education sectors have also joined the bandwagon as learning has shifted from the conventional classroom walls to online platforms.
Presenting a trading update this week for the third quarter ended November 30, 2020, EWZ company secretary, Charles Banda said the company has drawn dividends from the obtaining environment.
"Our past investment in resilient network infrastructure has positioned us to be the digital connectivity partner of choice. We continue to enable our customers to work and learn from home whilst observing social distancing etiquette. This is reflected in the data traffic volumes which have increased by 89.5% from the previous year," he said.
The EWZ boss said the pandemic has helped the group to understand the opportunities presented by digitalisation.
"While managing the risks, we are also alive to the opportunities presented by Covid-19, particularly the accelerated need for digitalisation across all business sectors. Telecommuting and serving our customers through digital channels have become our preferred way of doing business. 80% of our staff continue to work from home with sustained high productivity," said Banda.
The group observed a decline in voice traffic volumes following the tariff adjustments in July 2020 and August 2020. However, they have since started to recover.
During the period under review, growth was experienced in SMS volumes reflecting the increased adoption and usage of e-commerce platforms which drives customer SMS interactions.
"As we go into the next decade, we are intensifying our efforts to adapt our business model to deliver digital solutions. The next few years will be pivotal to our transformation from a communications service provider to a digital service provider," added Banda.
Source - the independent
