eBusiness Weekly
Business Writer
Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed mobile network operator Econet Wireless says its presence at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) demonstrates its long-term view on the economic prospects of the country.
Econet chief executive officer Douglas Mboweni, whose company won last year’s Best ICT Exhibition award and the coveted Best Overall Business Stand award, said the MNO is excited to be at the Trade Fair which is an opportunity to give its consumer customers a first-hand experience of its wide ranging products.
“In spite of the current tough operating business environment, our presence at the ZITF demonstrates our long-term view on the economic prospects of our nation, our faith in this market and, above all, our commitment to deliver value to our customers through relentless innovation and smart digital solutions,” Mboweni said.
Commenting on the company’s ZITF stand, Econet Chief Operating Officer Fayaz King said the Connected Lifestyle and Enterprise Business Solutions sections have been a major draw card.
“All our Trade Fair stand bays have been busy from day one, and we are encouraged by the interest that our Connected Lifestyle and Enterprise Business Solutions sections have attracted from business visitors and the public at large,” said King.
Econet has harnessed its digital capabilities to showcase IoT (Internet of Things)-based products, that include smart surveillance, facial recognition, an online bidding platform along with its established and growing Connected Car and Connected Home asset and personal security services.
“This is the inaugural showcasing of our smart surveillance solution and of facial recognition technology, which will simplify and yet significantly raise the level of access security while enhancing loss control management for both small and large enterprises,” Mr King said.
He said Econet was taking its enterprise business solutions to the next level, with managed services such as cloud computing and was venturing into new market segments such as smart IoT diary solutions, which Econet is exhibiting at the ZITF under the banner of the “smart diary collar”.
“The IoT opportunities we see in the farming and agricultural sector are huge given that Zimbabwe’s economy is largely agro-based,” he said.
“We are ready to play our part in using smart technology to help farmers manage their input costs and boost their yields — whether they are into crop farming or animal husbandry,” Mr King said, adding that Econet’s inaugural exhibition of the IoT dairy solution was just a taste of things to come.
