What TelOne Zimbabwe does

TelOne Zimbabwe (TelOne (Private) Limited) is Zimbabwe's sole fixed-line telecommunications services provider, operating the second-largest fixed-line network in the SADC region after Telkom South Africa. The company delivers residential, enterprise, SME, government, education, and wholesale services including voice, broadband, satellite, data centre, cloud, VoIP, VPN, and backhaul across a 3,000+ km national backbone spanning fibre, microwave, copper, and wireless access networks. Its international connectivity is anchored on direct equity investment in the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), owner of the EASSy submarine cable, with multi-homed redundancy via WACS and SEACOM, providing 10+ Gbps of international bandwidth into Harare.

The company's core technology stack centres on a Tier 3 Data Centre in Harare (vendor-neutral, serving corporates and government), the .zw country-code top-level domain registry hosted on TelOne's servers, and a Points-of-Presence footprint at every major urban centre from Mutare to Victoria Falls. Product architecture spans residential capped/uncapped broadband (Home Plus through Intense Extra tiers), Blaze LTE wireless broadband, Ka Band and Ku Band satellite broadband via Eutelsat and Avanti partnerships, enterprise dedicated internet, Huawei eSpace UC2.0 unified communications, hosted IPBX, and wholesale IP Transit, intercity/metro backhaul, voice interconnection, IPLC, colocation, BAAS, and disaster recovery services.

TelOne's business model is built on recurring monthly subscriptions across both ZWG (Zimbabwe Gold) and USD billing, supplemented by usage-based voice pricing and managed service fees for cloud, data centre, and BPO (TelOne Omni Contact Centre) offerings. Distribution runs through 28+ client service centres, a self-service online portal (selfservice.telone.co.zw), TelPay, mobile money and bank USSD integrations (12+ banks), retail chains (OK/OK Mart, TM Pick n Pay, Spar), and a dedicated mobile app. Customer segments are split between long-tail residential volume, sticky enterprise and government contracts driven by data sovereignty requirements, and wholesale relationships with mobile network operators and ISPs that ride on TelOne's backbone. Leadership sits with CEO Eng. Lawrence Nkala and Board Chairman Dr. Douglas Zimbango, and the company holds 54.54% of Zimbabwe's fixed broadband subscriptions as of Q4 2025.

Name

TelOne Zimbabwe

Legal name

TelOne (Private) Limited

Website

https://telone.co.zw

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

TelOne Zimbabwe is the country's sole fixed-line telecom operator, providing residential broadband, enterprise connectivity, satellite services, and wholesale backhaul over a 3,000+ km nationwide backbone anchored on WIOCC undersea cable investment and a Tier 3 Data Centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fixed-line Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Telephone Call Centers (56142)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Wireless ISPs (WISPs) & Fixed Wireless Access Providers (HDAIADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Mobile Operators (HDAIAAAG), Telemarketing & Telesales Services (Outbound/Inbound) (BPAFAKAC)

Keywords

• Fixed line telecommunications
• Broadband internet access
• Enterprise network services
• Satellite internet solutions
• Data centre colocation

Headquarters

HQ city

Harare

HQ country

Zimbabwe

HQ region

Africa

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential Broadband Services: Monthly subscription services for home broadband packages including capped and uncapped options (Home Plus, Premier, Surfer, Boost, Infinity Pro, Intense, Infinity Supreme). Revenue generated through recurring monthly fees charged in ZWG or USD.
2. LTE/Mobile Broadband Services: TelOne Blaze LTE services providing wireless broadband connectivity with various data caps and unlimited options. Sold as monthly subscriptions with voice minutes included.
3. Satellite Broadband Services: Satellite internet services including Eutelsat Ka Band and Avanti Ka Band for residential and enterprise customers in remote areas. Equipment sales combined with monthly service subscriptions.
4. Voice Services: Landline voice services including prepaid voice vouchers and post-paid voice services. Revenue from per-minute calling charges and bundled voice packages.
5. Enterprise Solutions: Dedicated internet, VoIP, VPN, hosted IPBX, and networking services for corporate and government customers. Typically longer-term contracts with dedicated account management.
6. Data Centre and Cloud Services: Email hosting, virtual machines, storage, colocation, rack space rental, BAAS, and disaster recovery services for enterprise customers. Revenue from managed services and hosting fees.
7. Wholesale Services: Backhaul services (intercity, metro), IP Transit, voice interconnection, IPLC, and colocation services sold to mobile network operators, ISPs, and other telecom operators.
8. Wi-Fi Hotspot Services: Public Wi-Fi hotspots at border posts, universities, shopping centres, and other locations. Revenue generated through voucher sales for access time.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TelOne is Zimbabwe's sole fixed-line telecommunications services provider, delivering voice, broadband internet, enterprise networking, data centre, cloud, and wholesale carrier services across residential, SME, enterprise, government, and operator customers. The company operates a 3,000+ km nationwide transmission backbone with international connectivity through three undersea cable systems (EASSy via WIOCC shareholding, WACS, and SEACOM) and runs a Tier 3 Data Centre in Harare.

Product overview

TelOne Zimbabwe operates as a telecommunications service provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services organized across three main divisions: Enterprise/Business Solutions, Residential Services, and Wholesale Solutions. The Enterprise division provides Dedicated Internet Service, VoIP, satellite broadband (Ku Band, C Band, Avanti Ka Band, Eutelsat Ka Band), Networking Services, VPN, Hosted IPBX, Data Centre & Cloud Services, and eSpace Unified Solutions. The Residential segment offers capped broadband packages (Home Plus, Home Premier, Home Surfer, Home Boost, Infinity Pro), uncapped options (Intense, Infinity Supreme, Intense Extra), satellite broadband (Avanti Ka Band Home, Eutelsat Ka Band Home), and TelOne Voice landline services. The Wholesale division provides IP Transit, Intercity Backhaul, Metro Backhaul, Voice Interconnection, IPLC, colocation, rack space rental, BAAS, Disaster Recovery as a Service, and Cloud Services. The company also operates a Contact Centre outsourcing service (TelOne Omni Contact Centre) and maintains a training facility (Centre for Learning). All services are anchored on TelOne's national network infrastructure spanning over 3000 km with connections to undersea cables (EASSy, WACS, SEACOM).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TelOne Centre for Learning: Training centre that nurtures creativity, innovation, new ways of working, interacting and learning to support modern ICT and business dynamics.
• TelOne Omni Contact Centre
• TelOne FC / TelOne WIFI Boys

Products and services

• Dedicated Internet Service High-speed bandwidth connections that enable critical communications for corporates, enterprises, government departments, and tertiary institutions, delivered through optic fibre or copper.
• Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Business VoIP services delivering innovative communications features including IP Trunking, IP Integrated Access, Virtual Communications Express, and Business Connection services for unified communications and collaboration.
• Ku Band Satellite Service Satellite broadband service using Ku band technology, providing resilience to harsh weather conditions particularly rain and wind storms, with equipment cost starting from US$1,540.
• Avanti Enterprise Ka Band Enterprise-grade Ka band satellite connectivity with packages ranging from 50GB to uncapped options, delivering speeds up to 15,000 Kbps download.
• Eutelsat SME Ka Band Satellite broadband for small and medium enterprises, offering unlimited packages with download speeds up to 25 Mbps and upload speeds up to 3 Mbps.
• Eutelsat Enterprise Ka Band Enterprise satellite connectivity offering unlimited packages with speeds up to 50/5 Mbps, designed for business connectivity from remote locations.
• C Band VSAT Satellite Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Fixed LTE subscriptions grew 30.9% to 143,323 by end of 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelOne has invested in WIOCC which owns and operates the East Africa Submarine System (EASSy). This investment enables TelOne to provide the fastest, most reliable and affordable broadband internet access in Zimbabwe. WIOCC ownership provides direct access to undersea cable capacity.
• SEACOMcoreTechnology or IntegrationTelOne connects to SEACOM undersea cable system for international bandwidth, providing additional redundancy and capacity for broadband internet services.
• West Africa Cable System (WACS)coreTechnology or IntegrationTelOne connects to WACS undersea cable system as one of three undersea cable connections providing international bandwidth diversity and redundancy.
• EASSy (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System)coreTechnology or IntegrationEASSy is operated by WIOCC and provides connectivity through the Indian Ocean. TelOne's investment in WIOCC provides preferential access to this cable system.
• HuaweicoreTechnology or IntegrationTelOne partnered with Huawei to bring enterprise clients Huawei eSpace UC2.0, providing converged, consistent, and high quality mobile office and collaboration solutions. eSpace UC integrates voice, data, video, and workflow technologies for enterprise customers.
• EutelsatcoreTechnology or IntegrationEutelsat satellite services offered through Konnect brand for both residential (Ka Band Home) and enterprise (SME and Enterprise Ka Band) customers in remote areas without fixed line connectivity.
• AvanticoreTechnology or IntegrationAvanti Ka Band satellite services for both home and enterprise customers in Zimbabwe, providing connectivity solutions for remote areas with speeds up to 15 Mbps.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Powertel Communications: Telecoms arm of Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), offering fiber backhaul along power lines and ISP services. Comparable as a state-affiliated telecom/ISP peer, with overlap in enterprise and wholesale backhaul markets.
• Starlink (SpaceX): Satellite broadband provider whose Zimbabwe VSAT subs more than doubled to 67,057 and now consume 22.5% of national fixed internet traffic. Competes with TelOne's Ka Band, Ku Band, and C Band satellite services as well as terrestrial broadband for residential and SME customers.

Direct peers

• ZOL Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean ISP providing fixed broadband, fiber-to-the-home, and enterprise services. Competes directly with TelOne's Home Plus/Premier/Surfer capped broadband lines and SME Infinity Supreme packages in Harare and Bulawayo.
• Econet Wireless Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's largest mobile network operator and a major ISP via its Econet Connect/Yo data brands. Directly competes with TelOne in mobile broadband (LTE), fixed wireless, enterprise services, and international gateway traffic, and is also a wholesale customer of TelOne's backhaul.
• Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Liquid Telecom): Pan-African fiber and wholesale operator with a significant Zimbabwe presence, competing head-to-head with TelOne in metro and intercity backhaul, IP Transit, enterprise connectivity, and data centre services. Operates its own undersea cable capacity into Southern Africa.
• NetOne Zimbabwe: State-owned mobile network operator in Zimbabwe that competes with TelOne in mobile broadband and voice services while also relying on TelOne's wholesale backhaul and interconnection for parts of its network. Closely comparable on enterprise/government contracts and product portfolio.
• Telecel Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's third mobile network operator offering mobile voice, data, and LTE services. Competes with TelOne's Blaze LTE and residential broadband offerings, and interconnects with TelOne for voice termination and backhaul.
• Dandemutande: Zimbabwean internet access provider offering VSAT, fiber, and enterprise connectivity. Directly competes with TelOne's enterprise solutions, satellite broadband, and wholesale products, and is a peer buyer of TelOne's IP Transit and colocation services.

Regional players

• Africa Online: Long-established East African ISP with operations across multiple African markets. Comparable as a regional fixed broadband and enterprise connectivity peer, particularly in markets with similar regulatory and infrastructure constraints to Zimbabwe.

Broad incumbents

• Telkom South Africa: South Africa's incumbent fixed-line operator and the operator of the region's largest fixed-line network (referenced in TelOne's own positioning as the benchmark). Comparable business model (fixed-line + ISP + data centre) and product portfolio, though in a more mature and competitive market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/telonezw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoLcBJm1y2qrwXQv6SRbxZw
• Facebookfacebook.com/telonezw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telonezw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TelOne Zimbabwe