Zimbabwe`s Internet service providers (ISPs) are still battling to provide Internet services after connections to an outbound satellite carrier were cut due to non-payment.
Zimbabweans are still struggling to browse the Internet and send e-mails, two weeks after global satellite provider Intelsat cut off government-owned Zimbabwe telecom operator TelOne from its outbound bandwidth access, after the company failed to pay its August bill.
This is according to a statement made by the Zimbabwe Internet Server Provider Association.
TelOne buys about three-quarters of its bandwidth capacity from Intelsat, which feeds the majority of Zimbabwe`s ISPs.
"The Internet situation in Zimbabwe at the moment is dire," says Nikki Lear, COO of Zimbabwe`s largest ISP, MWeb, which is a customer of TelOne. She says browsing the Internet and receiving e-mails is either non-existent or very slow.
TelOne`s failure to pay a $710 000 bill has caused clients such as MWeb to lose access to 20Mbps of outbound bandwidth data capacity, says Lear.
She adds that Zimbabwe`s ISPs rely on two satellite links supplied by SkyVision and Teleglobe for inbound data capacity, which allows customers to receive e-mails and browse the Internet on a limited scale.
Difficult situation
Lear says MWeb is in an incredibly difficult situation at the moment and is trying to accommodate longstanding valued customers with other browsing alternatives.
She notes there are two other bandwidth providers aside from Intelsat, but unfortunately they are not appropriate options at the moment. "Telco Internet has no spectrum capacity left to supply MWeb at this stage and Ecoweb supplies bandwidth at four times the price we are currently paying."
Lear adds that MWeb is in talks with another licensed Internet access provider to establish a new satellite linkup for outbound and inbound bandwidth capacity. The new system requires a satellite with a minimum width of 4.5m, which MWeb does not have at the moment.
She does not know when TelOne will be able to pay Intelsat. "We are in constant contact with them and we believe that they are in talks with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to borrow money."
Dianne VanBeber, VP of investor relations and communications at Intelsat, says the company has ties with customers in over 200 countries and has worked with TelOne for many years. "We try to be as flexible with all our customers as possible, to prevent such circumstances such as what has happened in Zimbabwe."
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