Zambia’s telecommunications industry is facing significant challenges due to prolonged power blackouts that have been sweeping across the country. The Global System for Mobile Association of Zambia (GSMAZ) has raised alarms about the severe impact these outages are having on the sector’s ability to deliver quality services to customers.
MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia, and Zamtel, which collectively form the GSMAZ, have issued a joint statement highlighting the detrimental effects of power cuts lasting more than four hours. These extended outages are compromising service quality and significantly increasing operational costs for mobile network operators.
The Root Cause: Environmental Crisis
The root cause of these power cuts can be traced back to January 2023. Severe climate change and unpredictable weather events led to a drastic reduction in water levels at Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made lake by volume. This environmental crisis resulted in a significant decrease in electricity generation capacity for both Zambia and Zimbabwe, as the lake is a critical source of hydropower for the region.
Operational Challenges for Telecom Companies
With power cuts stretching beyond four hours, telecom operators are struggling to maintain service quality. Mobile network operators rely heavily on a stable power supply to keep their infrastructure running smoothly. Prolonged outages mean increased reliance on backup power solutions,
