Zimbabwe to fine telcos over poor service delivery

Telecommunications companies and internet service providers in Zimbabwe now face fines of up to US$5,000 for poor service delivery, following new regulations introduced by the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Tatenda Mavetera, last Friday.

The penalties are outlined in Statutory Instrument 154 of 2024, referred to as the Postal and Telecommunications (Quality of Service) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 1), and will be enforced by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).

Under the new rules, POTRAZ will assess service providers based on key performance indicators over a three-month period. These include the quality of short message services (SMS), fixed data and internet services, interconnection links, and network performance data submission.

Specific infringements such as high call drop rates, low call setup success rates, poor cell availability, and high data service drop rates will result in a fine of US$200 for each breach. For SMS services, violations like delays in delivery and low success rates will also incur a US$200 penalty per affected area.

The steepest fines, up to US$5,000 per violation, will be levied against data and internet service providers who fail to meet the required speed standards, as stipulated by the regulations.