Zimbabwe satellite service shutdown for non-payment

Tue Sep 19 15:07:17 UTC 2006

Brandon Galbraith wrote:
> Does any fiber run into Zimbabwe? Or is everything via satellite? There 
> has to be a remaining uplink (albeit low-capacity) if nameservers within 
> the country are still accessible.
> 

Zimbabwe's government owned telephone company controls Internet access. When I 
was working there in 98ish, it was mandatory for all providers to interlink with 
the telephone company and use their satellite uplink at outrageous pricing. 
There was a few exceptions, mostly companies that were faster than the telco at 
setting up Internet connections and had the political power to hold on to them. 
The only other connectivity feeding Zimbabwe outside of the satellite uplinks 
was microwave to South Africa where it picked up fiber. I believe this link was 
primarily for phone, and not Internet.

I doubt much has changed since I was there. Towards the end of my visit, riots 
broke out and shortly after I left it paid not to be white in Zimbabwe and 
definitely not a white farmer. The economy didn't fare well. A beautiful 
country, but unfortunately not very ideal for a network engineer.

Jack Bates