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Limited; BPO/KPO services rising
Telecoms & ICT.
Econet dominant; fibre backbone via Liquid; growing software & BPO talent base.
6%
GDP share
6
Players
Profitability snapshot
MNO data 60–70% GP; SW services 35–50% GP
01 · Top players
- Econet / Cassava
- TelOne
- NetOne
- Liquid
- T3CS
- Paynow
02 · Advantages
- English fluency
- Strong CS pipeline
- Liquid backbone
- Smart Zim 2030 policy
03 · Challenges
- Spectrum & licence costs
- Forex for equipment
- Tower vandalism
- Brain drain
04 · Opportunities
- Vertical SaaS
- BPO/KPO export
- WISP networks
- AI customer-service shops
Snapshot
- ~5–6% of GDP, but the connective tissue for FinTech, e-commerce, gig work, and BPO.
- Mobile penetration ~95%; smartphone penetration ~58%; mobile internet ~67% of adults.
- 4G covers most urban areas; 5G live in Harare since 2022 (Econet pilot), broader rollout ongoing.
- POTRAZ is the regulator; aggressive licence fee regime and Universal Service Fund.
Operators
Mobile network operators
- Econet Wireless (Cassava-listed, ZSE): ~63% subscriber share, largest revenue.
- NetOne (state-owned): ~28% share.
- Telecel (state-acquired from VimpelCom): ~9% share, restructuring.
Fixed line & fibre
- TelOne (state-owned incumbent): ADSL + FTTH, last-mile copper rehab.
- Liquid Intelligent Technologies (ex-Liquid Telecom, Cassava group): Africa's largest pan-African fibre backbone; HQ history in Harare.
- Powertel, Africom, Dandemutande (Utande, ZOL), TelContract: ISPs and wholesale.
Data centres
- Liquid's Africa Data Centre (Tier III) in Harare.
- Dandemutande's TelOne data centre Tier III certified 2021.
- NetOne data centre — Mazowe Phase 1.
ICT services / software
- Software houses: Twenty Third Century Systems (T3CS), TechZim, Webdev, Paynow, Probyte Solutions, ForgetMeNot Africa, Insurtech Empire Insurance Brokers, Liquid Cloud.
- Outsourcing: Innscor Tech, Twenty Third Century, GreenTec Capital partners.
- Gov tech: e-Cabinet, e-procurement, ZIMRA TaRMS, ID online platform.
- IT services market estimated at ~US$200–250 m/yr.
Profitability
| Segment | Gross margin | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MNOs (data) | 60–70% | Mature, regulated |
| MNOs (voice) | 30–40% | Declining |
| Fibre wholesale | 55–65% | Liquid leads |
| Software services | 35–50% | Talent-cost driven |
| BPO/KPO | 25–35% | English fluency advantage |
Challenges
- Forex for equipment imports (towers, routers, base stations).
- Licence and spectrum fees (POTRAZ raised 2024).
- Power: towers require battery + solar redundancy; tower vandalism a chronic issue.
- Brain drain to South Africa, UK, Canada in tech talent.
- Cybersecurity legislation (Cyber & Data Protection Act, 2021) requires DPIA capacity.
Advantages
- High English literacy and numeracy → BPO/KPO ready.
- Strong tertiary CS pipeline (UZ, NUST, HIT, MSU).
- Regional fibre backbone via Liquid.
- Government push for digital transformation (Smart Zimbabwe 2030).
- Diaspora-funded startup angel capital growing.
Example companies
- Cassava SmartTech (Econet): mobile money, fibre, IT services.
- TelOne: state-owned ISP/data centre.
- NetOne: state-owned MNO.
- Liquid Intelligent Technologies: pan-African fibre.
- Paynow: payment gateway (Webdev).
- Twenty Third Century Systems: ERP, software services.
Opportunity hooks
- Solar-powered last-mile WISP networks in peri-urban areas.
- Niche SaaS for SADC SMEs: payroll, tax, HR, logistics.
- Vertical SaaS for farms, mines, lodges (asset tracking, productivity).
- KPO/BPO outsourcing serving UK, SA, ME clients in USD.
- Cloud services reseller for Microsoft, AWS, GCP via local POPs.
- AI-assisted call centre for diaspora-served SMEs.
- Tech-enabled cybersecurity-as-a-service for SADC banks.