Ngonidzashe Chiutsi
Business Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S tele-density has expanded by more than 73 percent since 2001 as Government strives to promote the communications sector, Transport, Communications and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche has said.
Minister Goche revealed this in a speech at the 8th annual general meeting of the Association of Regulators of Information and Communication for Eastern and Southern Africa (ARICESA) held in Victoria Falls last week.
Minister Goche said there was need for developing countries to become active participants in the global village through embracing new communication technology.
“I believe this is very necessary as nationals in most developing countries have been forced to the periphery of developmental initiatives for far too long. In Zimbabwe, telephone subscribers, both fixed and mobile have increased from about 500 000 in 2001 to almost 9 million at present,” said minister Goche.
He revealed that the mobile sector had contributed the highest growth.
“Most of that growth has been registered in the mobile sector where mobile tele-density has grown from 2,9 percent in 2001 to over 73 percent as at December 2011. Internet usage has also grown exponentially promoted by increased access to mobile services as well as innovations in the fixed services such as ADSL,” he said.
The minister said it was critical to promote Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) in societies.
“By their nature ICTs cut across the economic, social and political and even geographic boundaries. In doing so technology brings with it both opportunities and threats. We must do all in our power to harness the opportunities created by having technologies that allow instantaneous communications,” he said.
ARICEA is an association of the postal and telecommunications regulators drawn from the Eastern and African countries.