Itai Ndongwe
Harare- Powertel Communications is planning to expand its internet services to the mining sector through the Internet of Things (IoT)
Powertel Commercial Director, Prosper Mutswiri, said last week Friday during a customer interface in the capital assured his audience that the company has enough capacity to connect all the mines that are related to Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC)
“There are mines that are coming, and we will also be in these areas where ZETDC has connected electricity, and we are going to mine and connect you in the most effective ways. We have done that to Munyati Mine; we are doing that to Kariba Power Station; and we are doing that to Hwange Power Station”
“We are coming there to areas that are not yet connected as the company is using Pillion as there is a clear strategy where ever there is a connection of ZESA, there is automatically a connection of the internet,” he said
For this alone, the company has set its budget to US$50 million, just meant to upgrade internet connectivity
Powertel operates an optic fiber backbone network, an optic fiber distribution network, and optic fiber and wireless access networks.
As digital technologies advance and use cases are steadily developed and proven, and the digital era opens up endless possibilities and opportunities, South Africa’s journey to an integrated fifth-generation (5G) mine is well underway, and Zimbabwe is following suit, which will see the sector achieve responsible mining and its goals.
With different digital technologies, such as 5G connectivity, becoming increasingly important to mining profitability, more mining firms are investing in the digital ecosystems required to compete in the global mineral and resources arena.
