By Caroline Washaya-Moyo
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) is working on the installation of additional telecommunications infrastructure, including signal boosters and repeater stations, in remote and mountainous areas to improve network connectivity and ensure that communities and tourists are not left behind.
POTRAZ Deputy Director Marketing and International Relations Sibo Muteyiwa said the regulator was using the Universal Services Fund to extend telecommunications infrastructure to underserved areas, including remote tourism destinations such as Gonarezhou National Park.
Speaking at the 2026 Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo, Muteyiwa said reliable connectivity had become an essential component of modern tourism, particularly as visitors increasingly depend on digital platforms for communication, bookings, payments and access to information.
She said infrastructure development remained critical to ensuring that tourists visiting remote destinations could remain connected.
“Our sector is very capital intensive. So we have been trying as much as possible, even as POTRAZ, through the Universal Services Fund, to focus on the peripheries of the country, like Gonarezhou, to put some towers there, to put some connectivity there, so that they are able to connect and they are not left behind,” Muteyiwa said.
She said the regulator was working towards improving connectivity in areas that currently experience poor network coverage, with additional infrastructure expected to be deployed in the coming months.
Muteyiwa explained that geographical features such as mountains posed particular challenges to conventional network coverage.
“In Manicaland, where it’s mountainous, instead of having one tower that covers 20 kilometres, because spectrum doesn’t go around the mountains, it fires straight,” she said.
To address the challenge, POTRAZ is working with partners on the deployment of smaller repeater stations capable of extending network coverage into valleys, gorges and other areas shielded by mountainous terrain.
“What it means is that we need to find ways of having what we call repeater stations, smaller ones that can cover those gorges and those places that are hidden around the mountains,” Muteyiwa said.
She said such infrastructure would be particularly important for tourism destinations where visitors expect continuous access to communication and digital services.
Supporting the President’s AI Call
Muteyiwa also said POTRAZ fully supported President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for Zimbabweans to embrace artificial intelligence.
The President made the call during his opening remarks at the tourism expo, urging the country to take advantage of AI and emerging technologies to accelerate development.
Muteyiwa said POTRAZ was working to create an enabling regulatory environment that supports innovation and digital transformation across Zimbabwe’s economy.
She said the tourism and hospitality sector could benefit from AI through data-driven tourism services, advanced analytics, smart devices and improved customer experiences.
The regulator is also paying increasing attention to data protection as tourism businesses embrace online bookings and digital payments.
Muteyiwa said tourism institutions had been among those taking steps to comply with data protection requirements, with a number of institutions trained to manage and protect customers’ information.
Consumers Urged to Formally Lodge Complaints
Muteyiwa acknowledged that POTRAZ had received complaints from consumers concerning service quality and disappearing data, but urged customers to formally report such problems to their service providers.
She said consumers should first lodge complaints in writing with their service providers and, if they failed to receive satisfactory recourse, escalate the matter to POTRAZ.
“We have received a lot of complaints. I must be honest. And we are trying to push accountability to operators,” she said.
Muteyiwa said consumers needed to provide evidence, including dates, locations and details of service failures, to enable the regulator to investigate and take appropriate action.
She said POTRAZ had the authority to impose fines on operators that failed to meet their service obligations.
“We have actually even got fines that are dedicated to that, to lack of service delivery,” she said.
Muteyiwa said POTRAZ also had technical equipment capable of verifying certain network complaints and determining whether operators were meeting the service quality obligations contained in their licences.
She encouraged Zimbabweans to move beyond informal complaints on social media and use formal channels that enable the regulator to investigate cases and secure appropriate remedies.
The planned expansion of telecommunications infrastructure is expected to strengthen connectivity in remote areas while supporting tourism, communities and businesses.
For destinations such as Gonarezhou and other remote tourism areas, improved network coverage could enhance visitor safety and communication while enabling greater use of digital bookings, payments, marketing and other technology-driven services.
The initiative reinforces Zimbabwe’s drive towards an inclusive digital economy and supports the objectives of National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) through expanded digital infrastructure, innovation and improved access to technology.
