FROM ZOL TO LIQUID HOME: OUR JOURNEY WITH ZIMBABWE TOWARDS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
When one thinks of the future of technology in Zimbabwe, what immediately leaps to mind? A country in which all citizens have an internet connection, access to information, applications, entertainment, and the endless possibilities it provides? A country where businesses, no matter how big or small, can offer world-class online products and services through stable and fast connectivity? A place where a growing infrastructure – through Long Term Evolution (LTE), Very Small Aperture Terminal ( VSAT) and Fibre Optic – eventually reaches those who need it the most?
To some, this scenario may seem like a pipe dream, but we at Liquid Home believe it is all truly possible. We should know; over the last three decades, we have witnessed the technological landscape in Zimbabwe grow from our humble beginnings as ZOL, all the way back in 1994, into what we see today. We have been walking together with the country through every step of its digital transformation journey.
In that time, dreams have become reality. We have seen the growth of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) both in size and capability, moving from dial-up and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ( WiMAX) to LTE and fibre to the home (FTTH) in their offerings. We have witnessed the proliferation of smart devices in urban centres, becoming a part of people's dayto-day business and a source of leisure items. Zimbabweans today enjoy better connectivity, this is the direct result of the Public-Private Partnerships that helped telcos and other service providers become more streamlined and bolster the country's online infrastructure.
Since ZOL was founded, we have watched Zimbabwe's digital landscape transform, allowing us to grow in tandem. We have evolved into one of the country's leading ISPs, offering a combination of dial-up, WiMAX, email services, web hosting, VoIP, LAN and Wi-Fi setup. We also launched 422 Wi-Fi hotspots across Zimbabwe. These ZOL Spots were implemented to allow anyone with a laptop, smartphone or tablet access to the internet through a broadband connection. Not only did this provide an invaluable asset to businesses with employees on the go, but it also empowered thousands of consumers who wished to browse the internet while away from the home or office. With over thousands of unique users on the platform per month, ZOL spot has made its mark positively impacting educational, business and social spaces. Furthermore, by providing public Wi-Fi zones, ZOL spot has played a huge role in lowering the barrier to internet access and bridging the digital divide.
The many initiatives that ZOL rolled out caught the attention of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, which acquired ZOL in 2012. The acquisition allowed us to expand our operations and product offerings – beginning with introducing fibre connectivity in Harare's Belgravia and Milton Park areas.
In 2014 we launched our toll-free service to Econet subscribers, reducing the costs for support calls to zero as part of our customer service commitment and bringing our clients closer to us as a service provider. The following year saw us providing an extra layer of customer protection with our free Crashplan, offering local and online automatic secure backup that was cross-platform.
The year 2017 saw ZOL launching the Fibroniks product line, offering super-fast connectivity to meet any budget, bringing online access to those who previously could not afford it – or were just unaware that they could. We followed this up with the LTE-based Wibroniks service, offering the same reliable connection, faster than ADSL, at an affordable price.
Over the last two years, we have added sixty base stations to our LTE network, increasing our reach and making online solutions as affordable as possible. This improved connectivity and increased internet bandwidth has made it possible for us to continue rolling out our Edu-Zones initiative that we started in 2020, which provides free internet access to leading universities. Over 21,000 km of fibre optic cable has been laid down, and this meant that we have connected over 400 hotspots in the country. As the avenues for connectivity become more widely available, the costs for services and internet access have become lower, both for our customers and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe still faces many challenges in its digital future, but with Liquid being a major player in the infrastructure space, Liquid Home is in a strong position to address a huge scope of these challenges. In addition, with the country's infrastructure and the necessity for online connectivity in the country constantly increasing, we are now looking to grow our online services, such as cloud computing and cyber security.
We have come a long way as ZOL and plan to go even further under our new name, Liquid Home. Our customers will still receive the same seamless offerings, reliability, and world-class services they are used to, and we continue expanding on that mission as Liquid Home. Our parent brand Liquid Intelligent Technologies is synonymous with bringing high-speed connectivity to the continent. We will become synonymous by bringing high- speed connectivity to every home in Zimbabwe.
As Liquid Home, we continue the journey we began as ZOL on the path to Zimbabwe's digital transformation. As the country continues to harness the power of connectivity, we will be there every step of the way.