Telecel Zimbabwe is ramping up its LTE offering with an expansion of data offerings, including broadband internet connectivity through wireless modems for the SoHo market.

As Zimbabwe's economy worsens, telcos are considering alternative value propositions to maintain and increase income from average revenue per user – and data is fast becoming a sustainable revenue generator.

Telecel brand manager, Farai Katiza, said the company's latest offering represented its response to continued economic hardship.

"We are fully aware of the current economic challenges being faced by most people and this offer is in direct response to that identified need," said Katiza.

The market is dominated by ISPs including ZOL and TelOne, among others. ZOL has various indoor and outdoor modems and a mobile modem.

Telecel has forayed into this market as it seeks to capitalise on its data capacity and leverage its LTE offering. "Following the launch of its pilot LTE service late last year, Telecel has now moved a step further and increased both coverage and the scope of the service. It is now offering modems and bundles meant to ensure complimentary usage of the service," the company stated on Thursday.

The modems come with bundle options ranging from US$8 per 5GB to US$90 for 75GB valid for 30-days. The modem costs about US$150 and allows connectivity for up to 15 internet devices.

A report released in October by Markets Insider Zimbabwe - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses, shows that the country's three mobile network operators "continue to invest in network upgrades to support data services and their fast-expanding m-commerce and m-banking facilities".

"The expansion of 3G mobile broadband services across the country, and the more recent efforts to provide LTE services, have meant that more than half of the population now has access to the internet," says the report.

It adds that "the first commercial LTE services were launched in 2013, while investment in LTE technologies, for which the regulator has assigned spectrum in the 700MHz band" has continued.

According to industry date from regulator Potraz mobile internet and data utilisation increased by 21.1% to record 7,395TB from 6,104TB in the third quarter 2018.