The rollout of digital and artificial intelligence (AI) tools helped Econet increase data and voice traffic volumes by 100% and 23%, respectively, for the year ended February 2026, the company said on Friday.
The growth contributed to a 23% increase in full-year revenue for the Zimbabwean telecommunications operator.
“The use of digital and AI tools to deepen customer engagement and enhance service quality was pivotal to this growth,” said James Myers, chairman of Econet.
He said AI “is pivotal to our growth strategy”, adding that Econet is increasingly “embedding AI in our operating approach to enhance operational efficiency and improve scalability”.
Myers said the company has already begun its transition from a telecommunications operator to an AI-enabled digital services provider.
Econet accounts for 73.75% of Zimbabwe’s total mobile subscriber base of 16.7 million.
During the year under review, Econet commissioned 200 new base station sites. Of these, 95 are 5G-ready as the operator seeks to meet growing demand for data services and support further expansion of digital services in the country.
Myers said Econet undertook a core network upgrade and implemented a next-generation converged customer billing system.
The upgrade enhanced service capabilities through improved analytics and customer experience. Further deployment of digital and AI tools is aimed at unlocking network efficiencies and improving resilience.
“Our autonomous network initiative leverages AI-powered automation , predictive intelligence and self-optimising network features to improve service quality, operational efficiency and the resilience of our network,” said Myers.
For the year ended February 2026, Econet declared a final dividend of 0.61 US cents a share, bringing the total shareholder payout for the year to 2.44 US cents a share.
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