Harare, Zimbabwe – Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s leading telecommunications and technology company, has issued a formal apology to its customers, partners, and stakeholders after a widespread network disruption affected data services last week.
The service outage, which began around mid-day on Thursday and extended into Saturday afternoon, left many users unable to access internet connectivity and related digital services.
In a statement released to the public, Econet Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roy Chimanikire, expressed regret over the inconvenience caused by what he described as a “technical fault in our network infrastructure.”
“We sincerely apologise to our valued customers, channel partners and stakeholders for the service disruption resulting from a technical fault in our network infrastructure,” Chimanikire said.
The company clarified that the issue primarily impacted data services, though the extent of the disruption varied among customers. Some users experienced complete disconnection, while others reported slow speeds or intermittent access to apps and browsing.
Econet confirmed that by Saturday afternoon, “normal service had been fully restored across all service categories,” including mobile data, voice, SMS, and enterprise services.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our valued customers and channel partners for their patience and continued support,” Mr. Chimanikire added.
The disruption sparked frustration among Econet’s large customer base, many of whom took to social media platforms to express concerns over the reliability of the network. Several businesses also reported temporary difficulties in processing transactions through mobile payment platforms that rely on internet services.
The outage comes at a time when Zimbabweans are increasingly reliant on digital services for communication, banking, e-commerce, and remote work. With limited service providers in the market, Econet’s dominance means any major disruption often has far-reaching implications.
While the company did not provide detailed technical specifics behind the fault, sources within the ICT industry suggest it may have stemmed from a backend configuration error or hardware failure in one of the company’s core network nodes.
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, which is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, remains the largest telecommunications operator in the country, serving millions of users across urban and rural areas. It offers a range of services including voice, mobile data, broadband, mobile money through EcoCash, and digital content platforms.
Despite the recent setback, the company continues to invest in network infrastructure, including 5G trials, rural network expansion, and data center upgrades as part of its broader digital transformation strategy.
Customers have been urged to contact Econet customer care should they continue experiencing technical difficulties, though the company maintains that all services have been restored.
