NetOne
NetOne is the first cellular network operator in Zimbabwe based on Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM).The company was launched with 500 lines during the World Solar Summit in September 1996 in Harare. NetOne, a private company wholly owned by government, was formed as a subsdiary of the Posts Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) in 1996.
Its main focus and objective was to introduce and offer mobile cellular telecommunications to complement the fixed line telecommunication services offered by PTC. Since then, service has been extended to all cities, towns, tourist resorts, mining, farming and rural areas. NetOne boasts of the widest coverage in Zimbabwe.
NetOne over the years has pioneered routes for coverage, building a strong footprint of coverage in all provinces, major highways, towns, growth points, township centres and farming areas. The network has since expanded from five hundred to an aggregate customer base of more than a million subscribers. Apart from offering the basic telephone service, NetOne also offers supplementary and Value Added services (VAS) e.g Vehicle Tracking System, Short Messaging Services (SMS), International Roaming, Mobile Fax, Broadband Services, Mobile Financial Services.
The mobile network operator operator recently commissioned the Ascot Mobile Switching Centre based in Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe situated in the Southern region of the capital Harare. The event was momentous in NetOne’s history as it marked new growth paths in terms of service provision and capacity to handle more subscribers.
