The Sunday Mail
TELEACCESS Zimbabwe, the private operator whose abortive attempt to enter into the fixed telephony business is currently still before the Administrative Court, says it is still interested to enter the fray.
The business, whose major shareholder is businessman-cum-politician Dr Daniel Shumba, had its licence cancelled in 2005 by Potraz after the regulator claimed that the company had failed to roll out its services within the stipulated three months from the date the licence was issued.
TeleAcess was granted the second operating licence in the sector in January 2003 under licence number PFT20030102.
After the cancellation, the company filed a court case in 2006 and a determination is yet to be made.
In an interview last week, Dr Shumba suggested that the firm remains licensed until the court comes up with its judgment suggesting otherwise.
“Within a year of having gotten our licence, and in light of the impecunious state of the Zimbabwe economy, TeleAccess did a private placement to raise Zimbabwe dollars so as to import the required equipment. But after some challenges, Potraz decided to cancel our licence and TeleAccess went to court to seek redress and the matter is still in court. In the meantime, TeleAccess remains licensed until such a time the court comes up with its judgment,” said Dr Shumba.
The businessman believes there is still potential in the sector despite the sway that mobile operators presently enjoy.
He said it was up to an individual company to be enterprising and add value to its services to ensure survival.
“What is licensed is a service and not a technology. Now there is 4G and 5G, and many other technologies, so we will make use of relevant technology to ensure that we are able to compete with everyone.
“There is what is called vertical and horizontal integration in business and we will see how we can make use of that to boost our operations. But for now let’s respect the courts and see their judgment,” he said.
