User:Charlton Mhlauri/sandbox

Telecel Zimbabwe

History

Telecel  Zimbabwe was created as a branch of Telecel International. Telecel International is considered one of Africa’s first mobile telecommunications company. Telecel Zimbabwe was the second cellular network operator in Zimbabwe after Net*One. In 1997 Telecel International was granted a license to operate in Zimbabwe. Miko Rwayitare worked with local companies in Zimbabwe to establish Telecel Zimbabwe. He agreed on the majority ownership of 60% and 40% for the locals. Telecel immediately competed with Net*One, creating a rivalry that still exists today. A year after Telecel Zimbabwe was established, the government of Zimbabwe granted Econet Wireless, the country’s current leading  mobile service provider, its license to operate after losing out to Telecel the previous year.

Services

Telecel Zimbabwe provides three major services, Telecel Go,TeleCare and TeleCash. Telecel Go is a mobile services plan that enables users to set up a paying plan for data. Prior to Telecel Go, Telecel users had to buy cards worth a certain amount of data. Telecel cards provide users with a certain amount of data which means a certain amount of messages and minutes on the phone. Due to the high demand of data by users, Telecel created Telecel Go in order to charge users without limiting amount of data that can be used. Telecash is major branch of Telecel Zimbabwe.Telecash is mobile money or e-cash. Telecash is used by many Zimbabweans to pay bills, school fees, utilities and other major expenses. Telecare is the third major service provided by Telecel. Telecare is for Telecel subscribers to pay and manage all their insurance, health, life, and home.

Controversy

Telecel Zimbabwe has been known for controversy, all starting from the time it was introduced and licensed to operate. The questionable procedure that resulted in  Telecel being granted its first License to operate by Former Vice President of Zimbabwe and, Post and Telecommunications minister Joice Mujuru, caused major public upheaval. Telecel Zimbabwe was granted the license to operate ahead of many emerging organizations. Since its establishment in 2001 Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe has kept a major eye on how the company operates.

In 2015 Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe took Telecel Zimbabwe to the country’s high court after Telecel repeatedly failed to pay license and operational fees. Potraz temporarily shut down Telecel whilst the case was pending in court. The company owes millions of tax dollars to the Zimbabwean government. This is not the first time Telecel has been in a conflict with authority.

Expansion

Telecel recently went under a major expansion.The company spent upto USD$ 70m to expand throughout Zimbabwe. The expansion was done in order to enable accessibility to mobile service to people in rural areas. Telecel built new stations and company centers throughout villages in Zimbabwe.