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Sunday, February 9, 2025
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Energy Crisis Hits Mobile Telecoms

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Zambian mobile network operators have attributed their diminished quality of service provision to the ongoing electricity load shedding.

The providers claim that load shedding has compromised their provision of quality service because their back-up power generators now require constant refueling and more frequent servicing cycles, which have become costly.

In a statement, the Global System for Mobile Communication for Association of Zambia (GSMAZ) says the telecommunications sector has been greatly impacted by the prolonged power rationing the country is undergoing because of the drought and which has resulted in a huge national electricity deficit.

The statement follows increased service interruptions across all mobile service providers.

“Though the back-up power is available at these sites through generators, instances when there is electricity downtime and extended loadshedding hours, our provision of quality services is compromised as the generators now require constant refueling and more frequent servicing cycles.”

GSMAZ says the majority of the over 3,500 mobile sites (towers) belonging to ZAMTEL, Airtel and MTN are connected to the national grid.

The association said the daily load shedding of 13 to 14 hours has raised the cost of running the back-up generators for the mobile sites, whereas power back-up at the telecom sites is designed to last up to a maximum of four hours.

“There is a huge cost variance not only for the fuel and generator maintenance but also for the associated fuel delivery logistics for the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).”

The mobile operators are consulting partners and regulators to find a solution to help cushion the current predicament the sector is facing and have commenced installation of solar back-up power measures, but will continue to rely on existing back-up solutions.

The providers join other industry players in raising an orange flag concerning the impact of the energy crisis on their sector. In May, the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) said the industry was facing production challenges because of the electricity shortage.

“We’re acutely aware that the country is currently undergoing a challenging period influenced by external factors such as climate change, which have negatively impacted the manufacturing sector. These challenges have made it extremely difficult for industry players to operate efficiently,” ZAM Vice President Francine Haloba said.

Zambia is experiencing a severe energy supply crisis due to reduced water levels needed for electricity generation at its various hydropower plants. The country’s energy supply is predominantly hydro dependent.

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