Africom
Africom is a Zimbabwe-licensed telecommunications operator founded in 1995 that provides converged communication services — broadband internet, VOIP, mobile calling apps, telemedicine, and ICT consultancy — to households, SMEs, and enterprises across six Zimbabwean cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersHarare, Zimbabwe
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Africom does
Africom is a Zimbabwe-licensed telecommunications operator founded in 1995 that provides converged communication services integrating data, voice, and video over broadband with mobility. The company positions itself as the first converged communications provider in Zimbabwe, differentiating from traditional single-product telecom operators. Its product portfolio spans seven core offerings: CatchApp (mobile VOIP application for cross-network calling in Zimbabwe), Guroo (international VOIP and call centre platform with rates from 6-19c/minute), Maswerasei (affordable voice solution), Broadband Plus (household and SME internet service with speeds up to 15Mbps across 6 cities), Africom Health (telemedicine with ECG dongle for remote cardiac testing), ICT Consultancy (data centre, cyber security, and hosted services), and Networking (fibre and LAN infrastructure).
The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining physical retail shops in Harare, Bulawayo, and Mutare with mobile app distribution via Google Play and Apple App Store, WhatsApp-based customer engagement, and self-service online portals. Revenue is generated through subscription recurring models (broadband at $40-$90/month across 1-10 Mbps tiers), usage-based pricing (VOIP per-minute rates), freemium mobile apps (CatchApp with pay-as-you-go airtime), and managed services for enterprise ICT. The company serves primarily households/consumers and SMEs, with a secondary focus on healthcare providers (telemedicine) and enterprise customers (ICT consultancy). Founded as a premise wiring enterprise, Africom grew under Managing Director Rudo Mudavanhu to claim 100,000+ internet customers and 4,000+ CatchApp subscribers, with the ISP business built out under CTO Abisai Matangira since 2007. The company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investors.
Africom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Africom
- Legal name
- Africom
- Website
- https://africom.co.zw
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Africom is a Zimbabwe-licensed telecommunications operator founded in 1995 that provides converged communication services — broadband internet, VOIP, mobile calling apps, telemedicine, and ICT consultancy — to households, SMEs, and enterprises across six Zimbabwean cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Africom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telecommunications Services
- NAICS
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Broadband Providers (HDAIABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Wireless ISPs (WISPs) & Fixed Wireless Access Providers (HDAIADAD)
Keywords
Where Africom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harare
- HQ country
- Zimbabwe
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices5 records
Markets served
Africom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Voice Services (Maswerasei, Guroo): Revenue from voice call services using VOIP technology, charged per minute at competitive rates. Guroo charges 12c/min to other networks, 6c/min to Africom numbers, and 19c/min to Group 5 African countries.
- Broadband Internet Services: Monthly subscription plans for broadband internet at various speeds (1Mbps to 10Mbps) plus equipment rental or purchase options
- CatchApp Mobile Application: Pay-as-you-go model with no monthly fee - users purchase airtime and bundles as needed
- Africom Health Services: Digital health solutions including telemedicine services with ECG testing capability
- Data Centre, Cyber Security and Hosted Services: ICT consultancy and hosted services for business customers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Broadband Plus - 1Mbps |
| Subscription | Monthly | Broadband Plus - 2Mbps |
| Subscription | Monthly | Broadband Plus - 5Mbps |
| Subscription | Monthly | Broadband Plus - 10Mbps |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Equipment Rental Plan |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Equipment 3-Month Installment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Equipment Full Price |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Guroo - Africom Numbers |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Guroo - Other Networks |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Guroo - Group 5 Countries |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | CatchApp |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Africom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Africom is a licensed telecommunications operator providing converged communication services in Zimbabwe, integrating data, voice, and video over broadband with mobility into a single solution. The company sells broadband internet (Broadband Plus up to 10/15Mbps), mobile VOIP applications (CatchApp, Guroo, Maswerasei), digital health solutions (Africom Health with ECG dongle telemedicine), and enterprise ICT services (data centre, cyber security, hosted services, fibre and LAN networking).
Product overview
Africom is a converged communication service provider offering integrated data, voice, and video solutions over broadband with mobility capabilities. The company operates as a licensed telecommunications operator in Zimbabwe, founded in 1995. The product portfolio consists of consumer and business applications: CatchApp (mobile VOIP calling app for Zimbabwean networks), Guroo (international VOIP call solution), Maswerasei (voice solutions), Broadband Plus (internet service with multiple speed tiers), Africom Health (telemedicine with ECG dongle), ICT Consultancy (data centre, cyber security, hosted services), and Networking (fibre, LAN). CatchApp and Maswerasei provide voice communications; Broadband Plus delivers internet connectivity; Africom Health offers digital health services; and ICT Consultancy supports enterprise infrastructure needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CatchApp: A mobile application developed and owned by Africom for making calls to all networks within Zimbabwe using VOIP protocol. Supported by Android and iOS with over 4000 subscribers.
- Maswerasei
- Guroo
- Broadband Plus
- Africom Health
Products and services
- CatchApp CatchApp is a mobile VOIP application developed and owned by Africom for making calls to all networks within Zimbabwe, supported by both Android and iOS operating systems with pay-as-you-go pricing and no monthly fees. It targets individual consumers and micro-businesses seeking affordable calling.
- Guroo Guroo is a VOIP and call centre solution offering cheap calls to Zimbabwe from anywhere in the world, with rates of 12c per minute to other networks and 6c per minute to Africom numbers, and 19c/minute to Group 5 African countries.
- Maswerasei Maswerasei is Africom's affordable voice solution product, previously utilizing CDMA technology network coverage across Zimbabwe cities and towns, targeted at consumers seeking low-cost voice calls.
- Broadband Plus Broadband Plus is an internet service offering household broadband technology with speeds up to 15Mbps, targeting SMEs and household internet access with multiple pricing plans ($40-$90/month) and equipment payment options (rental, installment, or full purchase).
- Africom Health Africom Health is a digital health solution using telemedicine to provide access to health services, featuring an ECG dongle and cloud service allowing patients or doctors to take ECG tests from any location and receive expert cardiologist opinions.
- ICT Consultancy ICT Consultancy provides data centre, cyber security, and hosted services, along with network audit and optimization assessment to deliver quality network performance statistics with actionable recommendations, targeted at enterprise and business customers.
- Networking: Fibre, LAN Networking services providing fibre and LAN infrastructure solutions for enterprise and business customers, supporting network rollouts and operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Internet speeds up to 10Mbps for broadband customers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Africom
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Africom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Africom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Africom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NetOne: State-affiliated Zimbabwean mobile operator offering mobile voice, data, and growing broadband services, competing with Africom for household and SME connectivity budgets.
- Econet Wireless Zimbabwe: Largest mobile operator in Zimbabwe, increasingly offering fixed-wireless broadband and bundled voice/data; a broad incumbent whose converged offerings overlap Africom's.
- Telecel Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean mobile operator with mobile voice and data plans that overlap Africom's VOIP and broadband value proposition for individual customers.
Direct peers
- TelOne: Zimbabwe's state-owned fixed-line operator offering fixed broadband and voice services; competes head-on with Africom's converged broadband and VOIP offerings.
- ZOL Zimbabwe: Zimbabwean internet service provider offering broadband and related connectivity services to consumers and businesses, directly comparable to Africom's Broadband Plus.
- Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe: Major wholesale and retail fiber/broadband provider in Zimbabwe and across Africa, directly competing with Africom's Broadband Plus for SME and household internet customers.
- Utande: Zimbabwean internet service provider offering VSAT and broadband services, particularly to rural and underserved areas where Africom also targets customers.
- Dandemutande: Zimbabwean ISP and VSAT provider focused on enterprise and SME internet services; competes with Africom for SME connectivity contracts.
- AfricaOnline Zimbabwe: Long-standing Zimbabwean ISP providing dial-up and broadband internet to homes and SMEs, comparable in customer base and service mix to Africom's ISP business.
Regional players
- Powertel Communications: Zimbabwean telecom subsidiary focused on data and internet services; comparable ISP/broadband operator competing in the same domestic market as Africom.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Africom social profiles
Digital presenceAfricom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Africom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Africom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Africom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Africom
What does Africom do?
Africom is a licensed telecommunications operator providing converged communication services in Zimbabwe, integrating data, voice, and video over broadband with mobility into a single solution. The company sells broadband internet (Broadband Plus up to 10/15Mbps), mobile VOIP applications (CatchApp, Guroo, Maswerasei), digital health solutions (Africom Health with ECG dongle telemedicine), and enterprise ICT services (data centre, cyber security, hosted services, fibre and LAN networking).
Is Africom a public or private company?
Africom is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Africom founded?
Africom was founded in 1995. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Africom based?
Africom is headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe, in the Africa region.
How does Africom make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Voice Services (Maswerasei, Guroo) is the primary driver. The others are broadband Internet Services, catchApp Mobile Application, africom Health Services and data Centre, Cyber Security and Hosted Services.
Who are Africom's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NetOne, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and Telecel Zimbabwe. Direct peers are TelOne, ZOL Zimbabwe, Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe, Utande, Dandemutande and AfricaOnline Zimbabwe. Powertel Communications is listed as a regional player.
Does Africom have an API?
No public API is recorded for Africom.
What industry is Africom in?
Africom's product category is Telecommunications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIABAE, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Broadband Providers, with a secondary code of HDAIADAD, Wireless ISPs (WISPs) & Fixed Wireless Access Providers. Its NAICS code is 517111 and its SIC code is 4813.