What is Telecel Wifi & How Does it Work?
Telecel introduced the Telecel wifi zone. Wifi hotspots are established all over Zimbabwe in the major cities which are Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, and Vic Falls. The wifi network is only available to individuals using Telecel lines.
It applies to Telecel subscribers that are Telcos, Red postpaid, and Hybrid, Bus Postpaid and Hybrid, Televantage, Staff postpaid and hybrid, Spouse postpaid and hybrid.
Clients must be registered through a short code *480# to access the hotspot. Telecel further introduced the home wifi router which is capable of connecting 15 devices at one go. The network has an average download speed of 3Mbps and 0. 62 Mbps upload time.
What is Telecel
Telecel Zimbabwe operates a mobile network. It is a company registered in Zimbabwe. The company has more than 20 branches established in the country. Telecel is the second-largest independent service provider after Econet Wireless.
Telecel Zimbabwe has its headquarters in Harare. The company has seen a gradual demise in growth since its inception and the majority of its subscribers are in and around urban areas. The company has more than 2.5 million registered subscribers.
Background of Telecel
Telecel was established in 1996 by Miko Rwayatire. Telecel was jointly owned by Empowerment Corporation with a 40% stake and Vimplecom with a 60% stake in the company. Vimpelcom is a subsidiary of VEON telecoms operator in Russia with a wireless and telecom operation. The company is a leading service provider in Russia.
Telecel Zimbabwe was a subsidiary of Telecel International (now Telecel Global). Telecel Global is a company privately owned. The company was awarded the operating license n 1998 following a bid by other 5 telecom companies.
Telecel was met with opposition following irregularities which resulted in the suspension of the license. Following the ruling by the court, Telecel appealed against the ruling to the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. In 2013 the issue of licensing was again raised by Econet when it disrupted services citing the lack of legal obligation to connect with the company.
Telecel has seen its fair share of controversy since its inception having its license cancelled in 1998, 2007, and 2013. In 2007 a shareholding issue had arisen, followed by the scandal of Jane Mutasa who was alleged to have embezzled company properties. In 2015, the company faced threats of closure due to the failure to meet regulations and licensing requirements.
Due to the indigenization requirements shareholding has since changed. Kestrel Corporation and Selporn Investments, and ZARnet currently own the company. ZARnet currently owns 60% of the company’s shareholding which is split between the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, Affirmative Action Group, War Veterans Association, and the Zimbabwe Farmers Union.