Potraz holds first ever AGM

The Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) yesterday made history by holding its first ever annual general meeting since 2001 when it was established.

Potraz chairperson Ozias Bvute said the regulator should be ready to embrace new trends in the telecommunications industry.

 

“Moving forward, it appears likely that we will be seeing a transformation in the way the telecommunications industry will continue to grow and provide consumers with relevant, dependable services, thus network quality and diversification of services will be paramount in keeping competition fresh,” he said.

Bvute further noted that consumers are demanding more data, great content and a more satisfying user experience.

As such, he challenged operators   to change course and expand their offerings in order to evolve in the dynamic market.

“As service providers consider how and when to upgrade their infrastructure and networks to meet this demand, this is where regulatory frameworks such as the Infrastructure sharing regulatory framework play a key role.

“The framework allows service providers to focus on innovation which, in the information age, is the only answer to new and sustainable revenue streams and for consumers, lower costs,” he added.

Potraz recorded $22,7 million revenues in the nine months to September 2017 against a projected revenue of $20 million.

The regulator, which held its first ever annual general meeting yesterday since it was established nearly two decades ago, also recorded $11,5 million revenues from the Universal Services Fund up from a budgeted $10,7 million.

“It has indeed been a challenging year, but delivering a clean set of results is what our shareholder wants and we should strive to maintain this year in year out,” Bvute said.

This is the first time that the authority has had a clean set of accounts and the appointment of Gift Machengete as the director general last year seems to be paying dividends.

Potraz was established to ensure the provision of the sufficient domestic and international telecommunication and postal services throughout Zimbabwe on such terms and conditions as the authority may see fit. DailyNews