Zambia's telecommunications, information, communication and entertainment industry have made some substantial advances since the liberalisation of the Zambian economy began.
Fixed-line services:
The sole fixed-line service provider currently remains the state-owned Zambia
Telecommunications Company Limited (Zamtel), with approximately 80,000 lines
country-wide. International subscriber dialing is widely available. Private-sector
participation in Zamtel has been the subject of some discussion between Zambia
and her co-operating partners.
Mobile services:
There are two entirely privately owned mobile telephone service providers,
Celtel (GSM-based) and Telecel (CDMA-based), offering voice services. Both have
invested in extending coverage, certainly along the line of rail; and offer
limited roaming or international services.
Zamtel itself also offers some mobile (AMPS-based; due for conversion to GSM) services.
Data services:
Zamtel provides long-distance services, through a microwave backbone and
a single satellite earth station at Mwembeshi. Leased line services are available,
although line speeds may be limited by the capacities of the local exchanges.
In addition, some private organisations offer VSAT services, generally through hubs in South Africa. Some large organisations such as banks have used VSAT to build wide-area networks connecting all their branches in Zambia.
Over short distances, some private organisations offer wireless-based line-of-sight services.
Internet Access:
Zambia has had a substantially privately owned ISP, Zamnet Communication Systems
(Zamnet), originally established at the University of Zambia, since the early
1990s. In recent years, several other private operators have begun offering
internet access services; both on a dial-up and a leased-line basis. Still more
additional licences have been granted, although not all the licence-holders
have commenced operations. Zamtel itself also offers an internet access service.
A small number of internet cafes and other public access points exist in the main cities.
Regulator:
Zambia was one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to establish an
independent telecommunications regulator, the Communications Authority.
Information:
Many Zambian newspapers, including the state-owned Times of Zambia, as well
as the privately owned Post, have web-based versions, which are generally available
on-line within a few hours of the print versions.
Entertainment:
The main broadcasting service available on a nationwide basis remains the state-owned
Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC). It offers AM and FM radio services,
as well as television services, in English and in several vernacular languages.
Some privately owned radio stations (including one or two owned by churches)
also offer services in the main cities and towns. The South African satellite
TV service provider DSTV is represented in Zambia, and offers numerous TV and
FM radio channels on a subscription basis.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has delivered professional services to the regulator,
and to most of the major operators in this sector, in both the private and the
public sectors. PricewaterhouseCoopers works closely with sector specialists
worldwide, to ensure that our clients are at the leading edge of developments
in this industry in Zambia.
