Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans living in rural and peri-urban communities could gain access to reliable broadband internet under a proposed US$340.1 million investment programme aimed at closing the country's long-standing digital connectivity gap.

According to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), the investment package is expected to extend broadband infrastructure to underserved communities, connect more households through fibre networks, and improve internet access for small businesses that have struggled with unreliable connectivity.

The projects, contained in ZIDA's latest investment prospectus, are projected to generate more than US$3.8 billion in revenue through public-private partnerships and strategic private sector investment.

According to ZIDA, the largest project is TelOne's US$263.2 million Wireless Broadband Deployment programme, which seeks to connect 500 000 users in rural and peri-urban areas through approximately 1 600 wireless base stations across Midlands, Manicaland, Masvingo, and Matabeleland South.

"The Wireless Broadband Deployment project aims to improve internet connectivity in underserved regions of southern and eastern Zimbabwe, including Midlands, Matabeleland South, Masvingo, and Manicaland.

"Promoted by TelOne Private Limited, this US$263.2 million initiative involves deploying approximately 1 600 wireless base stations under a Build, Lease, Maintain and Transfer (BLMT) public-private partnership model.

"The project targets connecting 500 000 users in rural and peri-urban areas, addressing the digital divide and fostering digital inclusion," the agency stated.

ZIDA said another major investment is TelOne's Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) project, which requires US$50 million and is expected to connect approximately 114 000 homes with high-speed broadband services.

"The project involves the installation of Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) broadband infrastructure to connect approximately 114 000 homes across various locations in Zimbabwe," according to the prospectus.

The agency also identified Powertel Communications' US$26.9 million Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) project as a key investment targeting more than 900 000 households and small-to-medium enterprises already connected to the national electricity grid.

According to ZIDA:

"The project involves the deployment of an optical fibre network utilising GPON technology to provide ICT services, mainly broadband internet.

"The Powertel GPON project seeks to deliver high-speed internet and telecommunications services. Overhead optical fibre cables will be deployed on existing power line infrastructure in metropolitan and rural areas across Zimbabwe.

"GPON technology will be deployed as the active equipment to enable customers to access internet services over the optical fibre network. The target market comprises more than 900 000 households and SMEs connected to the electricity grid that require highly available, reliable, secure and fast internet services."

According to ZIDA, the three projects are expected to deliver strong commercial returns, with TelOne's Wireless Broadband Deployment project projected to generate a 60 percent return on investment, followed by Powertel's GPON project at 56.94 percent and TelOne's Fibre-to-the-Home rollout at 47.1 percent.

The agency said that, once implemented, the investments are expected to improve access to digital services, strengthen internet connectivity for businesses, schools, and households, and expand broadband coverage to communities that have remained on the margins of Zimbabwe's digital economy.