Telecommunications companies and internet service providers in Zimbabwe could face fines of up to US$5,000 for poor service delivery under new regulations introduced by the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Tatenda Mavetera.
The penalties are outlined in Statutory Instrument 154 of 2024, known as the Postal and Telecommunications (Quality of Service) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024. The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) will enforce the fines based on performance indicators, including SMS, data, and internet quality over a three-month period.
Infringements such as high call drop rates, poor call setup success, cell availability issues, and low data service access success rates will attract fines of US$200 per breach. For SMS, breaches related to delivery time and success rate will also result in US$200 fines per cell in breach, while data and internet service providers may face fines of up to US$5,000 per infringement, particularly for failing to meet speed benchmarks.
