Econet Wireless has issued a statement denying reports that its network faces collapse due to the non-payment of a foreign debt to a network platform supplier.
Media reports doing the rounds are that a $17 million foreign currency payment outstanding to Swedish telecommunications multinational Ericsson is at the centre of Econet’s troubles after the Reserve Bank failed to allocate the company foreign currency despite having received the equivalent RTGS dollars many months ago.
According to the inaccurate report, Ericsson is said to be insisting on settlement of the debt before it can send its engineers to fix the Pockets Hill server which holds proprietary technology and can only be serviced by the company.
However, Econet Wireless has issued a statement denying reports that its network faces collapse due to the non-payment of a foreign debt to a network platform supplier.
“Econet Wireless is aware of an inaccurate message doing the rounds on some social media groups, quoting unnamed sources who claim that the company ‘risks a blackout after losing a backup node’.
“We wish to assure our valued customers, stakeholders and the public at large, that the network remains sound and stable, and is not at risk of any blackout.”
The statement said while the current operating environment presented challenges for all businesses in Zimbabwe, including Econet, it was not true that its network was facing collapse.
“We have put in place robust measures to mitigate against the challenges we face and are working closely with our regulators and the responsible authorities to find solutions to the challenges we face”, the company said.