Zimbabwe's internet traffic is served via South Africa

Zimbabwe's internet traffic is served from South Africa
More than 90% of Zimbabwe's internet traffic is served via Teraco, a data centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, where local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) peer for free with major global platforms such as Meta, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, YouTube, Huawei, and hundreds of others.

This model, which allows ISPs to access global content at minimal cost, means that the bulk of the internet accessed in Zimbabwe originates from South Africa - including content accessed by Starlink users. However, industry experts argue that while international bandwidth is relatively affordable, local internet access costs are being inflated by artificial factors.

The main cost driver, they say, lies in domestic infrastructure: the transport of internet data from data centres to local towers, buildings, and users. This "first-mile" and "last-mile" connectivity, compounded by regulatory fees and licensing structures, is what makes internet pricing in Zimbabwe disproportionately expensive.

"It's cheaper to connect an office in Johannesburg to London than it is to connect two offices located in the same CBD in Harare," said one network infrastructure specialist. "This isn't about data scarcity. It's about an inefficient, overly regulated, and monopolised local transport system."

Analysts warn that unless these domestic cost structures are addressed, Zimbabwe's digital divide will continue to widen. High prices for basic internet packages make access unaffordable for many households and small businesses, stalling the country's efforts to build a digital economy.

"We have the content. We have the regional peering relationships. What we don't have is affordable domestic infrastructure," said another source in Zimbabwe's tech industry. "The current pricing model is artificial and unsustainable — and it's locking millions out of the digital revolution."

Calls are growing for policy reform that would encourage infrastructure sharing among service providers, reduce bureaucratic hurdles for fibre network expansion, and improve the efficiency of local internet exchanges. Experts warn that without urgent action, Zimbabwe risks becoming increasingly isolated from the global digital economy, with its population unable to fully participate in the opportunities of the information age.

The country's future digital growth, they argue, will depend not only on access to global networks but also on the affordability and efficiency of its own domestic infrastructure.