Potraz prioritises data privacy

THE Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) says data privacy and security is a top priority as the wide adoption of broadband has created new security concerns and challenges.
This comes as the adoption of digital technology has been marred by cybercrime.
According to the Potraz 2022 Consumer Satisfaction Survey, consumers are wary about the unauthorised use of sensitive data and hence expect increased control over their data.

“This calls for more regulatory measures to be put in place and the establishment of the Data Protection Authority will go a long way in creating a conducive environment for digital safety and confidence,” Potraz said in its first quarter 2023 sector performance report.
“To this end, the authority will be seized with implementing the Cyber and Data Protection Act, which was promulgated in 2021, as it takes on its new role as the Data Protection Authority.”
During the quarter under review, mobile internet and data traffic increased by 12,3 percent to 37 690,4 terabytes in the first quarter of 2023, from 33 576,4 terabytes recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Used Incoming International Internet Bandwidth Capacity increased by 8 percent to 294 201Mbps, from 272 430Mbps recorded in the previous quarter.
The total number of active internet and data subscriptions increased by 0,1 percent to reach 9 920 847, from 9 914 950 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022 while the internet penetration rate increased by 0,1 percent to reach 65,4 percent from 65,3 percent recorded in 2022.
The total number of active mobile subscriptions declined by 1,7 percent to reach 14,051,251, from 14,300,790 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022, hence the mobile penetration rate declined by 1,6 percent, to reach 92,6 percent, from 94,2 percent recorded in the previous quarter.
Total active fixed telephone lines increased by 0,3 percent to 292,253 in the first quarter of 2023, from 291,324 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Resultantly, the fixed telephone density increased by 0,01 percent to a record 1,93 percent, from 1,92 percent recorded in the previous quarter.
Mobile voice traffic for the quarter declined by 16 percent to 2,5 billion minutes from 3 billion minutes recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.
In the outlook, Potraz foresees an emerging set of opportunities presented by the converged licensing framework as evidenced by an increase in applications for Mobile Virtual Network licences, which will boost competition in the sector.
The authority said with the ever-expanding options for high-quality communication and internet services from LTE, fibre, and satellite amongst others, consumers will enjoy more enhanced service flexibility in purchasing and consuming services shortly.
“Digital transformation also presents a significant opportunity for postal and courier operators in terms of improving service delivery, while pivoting to new more efficient business models,” Potra