Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (EWZ) says recurrent power cuts have negatively affected the quality of services that the company offers.
The mobile network operator (MNO) says it will increase investment in alternative energy, such as solar batteries and diesel-powered generators though this requires significant amounts of foreign currency.
In a statement accompanying the firm’s trading update for the third quarter to November 2022, EWZ company secretary, Charles Banda said:
Due to the unreliable national power grid, the business continues to invest in alternative power solutions in a bid to ensure network availability.
As green energy solutions such as solar and battery storage require significant foreign currency investment, the pace of investment has remained below desired levels, thereby impacting service quality.
The business has also had to continue investing in diesel engine generators in the face of sharp declines in available grid power.
Most base stations (boosters) run on electricity but of late, MNOs have been forced to rely on diesel generators due to load-shedding and this has increased the cost of doing business.