Zimbabweans are failing to use the internet mostly due to high service costs, a study by ZimStat on the 2020 ICT Access By Households And Use By Individuals Survey has revealed.
Key findings on the study show that 40% of the reasons for not using the internet were high costs of internet service, 30.9% attributed to lack of local content, and 29.5% due to privacy or security concerns.
The survey also shows that1,864,148 are without households internet access at home, 69.1% due to the high cost of the equipment or gadgets, and 44.0% owing to the high cost of accessing internet services.
Use of the internet from any location by individuals aged 3 and more at a countrywide proportion of users was 29.3%, an increase from 16.4% in 2014.
Speaking during the launch of the survey report POTRAZ Director-General Dr. Gift K Machengete said the ZimStat research is critical in the regulator’s performance in delivering its core mandate of attaining universal access to ICTs.
“At POTRAZ, we believe that when performance is measured, performance improves, and when performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates,” Machengete said.
“Without measurement, we would not have a clue as to how we are performing or the direction to take for meaningful interventions.”
The Director-General also said research allows the regulator to appreciate the prevailing environment, trends, circumstances, and challenges in the ICT sector.
Zimbabwe currently has one of the most expensive internet services on the African continent.
Critics say data charges are beyond the reach of the majority of the population which is living below the poverty datum line.
Statistics show that mobile internet and data usage went up by about 43 percent since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This does not include another 30% increase to internet and data tariffs by service providers.
The government has adamantly stated that Zimbabwe’s data charges are the lowest in Africa.
POTRAZ which regulates data charges stated that the service providers were struggling to secure the much-needed foreign currency to import the needed infrastructural and maintenance equipment.
