The Sunday Mail
Business Reporter
WITH the decline in revenue for both voice and short message services (SMS), mobile telecommunication companies have had to invest in overlay services that feed off the internet and broadband networks in order to introduce innovative products to consumers. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, the country’s biggest mobile telecommunications firm, has been particularly active on this front.
It now has strategic business units such as EcoFarmer, a service that is designed to interface with local farmers; EcoSchool that is designed to benefit students; EcoHealth, which boasts of the dial-a-doctor facility; and Econet ConnectedCar service, which essentially provides a vehicle tracking platform.
But it is the vehicle tracking system that is making inroads on the local market.
Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) indicate that the country’s vehicle population currently stands at 1,2 million.
The Econet ConnectedCar vehicle tracking system leverages on the telecommunication giant’s infrastructure backbone that cuts across Africa.
Its recent coup, where a local businessman, Mr Sahungwe Hungwe managed to recover his vehicle that had been stolen in South Africa, has become a major selling point for the unit.
Mr Hungwe had his car stolen in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 15, 2015, but it was later recovered though his roaming services were not activated at the time the offence took place.
“I do not know how they got into the car but I think they have devised some system where they can breach the security system. . .
“When the roaming service was activated, it was discovered that the vehicle was now in Pietermaritzburg in Kwazulu-Natal and had been sold to someone else who had put Malawian numbers on it.
“Firstly, the signal strength was quite impressive considering that when they activated the roaming system the car was thousands of kilometres away.
“The tracking system itself was also impressive because according to the satellite images I could see an aerial view of the building where my car was packed.
“I could also tell when the vehicle had been used, that is, the time and distance travelled. I am also impressed that the system picked the tracking device that was off when I went into South Africa,” explained Mr Hungwe.
The subscription for vehicle tracking systems has largely been driven by companies that are conscious about driver and fleet security and improved operational efficiency.
To date, subscriptions from individuals, though growing, remains low.
Econet ConnectedCar, which offers fleet management service, personal vehicle management, roadside assistance and vehicle recovery fleet, enables live tracking and monitoring of vehicles across Africa.
In addition to allowing drivers to use a panic button to alert the main office for threats, it also affords individuals the ability to manage and maintain their vehicles from your tablet, smart phone, any web portal or through the Econet ConnectedCar website.
