Open-access fibre-connectivity provider DFA says it has become the first telecommunications provider in 10 years to be granted an operating licence by the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

According to the company, the awarding of the Internet Access Provider Class B licence follows a successful launch and proof of concept phase for DFA’s Zimbabwe operations.

It notes the licence paves the way for fully-fledged operations in the country and will allow DFA to build a nationwide network for the provision of licensed telecommunications services.

DFA finances, builds, installs, manages and maintains a fibre network to transmit metro and long-haul telecommunications traffic. It started rolling out its fibre network in South Africa in 2007, and to date, it as deployed over 13 000km of ducting infrastructure in major South African metros, secondary cities and smaller towns.

It has also recently expanded operations into Zimbabwe.

DFA Group CEO Thinus Mulder says he is pleased with DFA Zimbabwe’s progress. “From the beginning, we have favoured a measured approach in our expansion to nations outside of South Africa.

“We believe in the potential of Zimbabwe’s telecommunications industry, and therefore, we have identified it as a good place to invest in. The awarding of the licence further builds our confidence in this particular market,” he notes.

Commenting on the newly-granted licence, chief executive officer of DFA Zimbabwe Simon Chimutsotso expressed excitement about the premium open-access services DFA Zimbabwe is ready to offer to the market.

“We look forward to partnering with our targeted customer base to enhance their efficiency and competitiveness. By fulfilling their physical fibre-network-infrastructure requirements and taking on the maintenance responsibilities, we enable them to focus on their core business of providing excellent value-added telecommunication services to their customers.”

Chimutsotso adds DFA Zimbabwe had used the licensing period to deploy more resources towards understanding the market needs, building internal capabilities, and improving its business model to further enhance customers’ experience.

“We are ready to fulfil our promise to the ICT sector and help bring about new, innovative offerings to the market.

“We would like to thank our shareholders, POTRAZ, the Ministry of ICT, the Government of Zimbabwe, and all our key stakeholders for the unwavering support as we sought to realise our vision for Zimbabwe. It has been a long journey and we are excited on the new opportunities that lie ahead.”