NetOne says USD45m loan will see it increase subscribers to 2m

Zimbabwean government-backed mobile operator NetOne has received a USD45 million loan from Export-Import Bank of China to expand the coverage and capacity of its network, with the aim of more than doubling its subscriber base, Reuters reports, quoting local state-owned media. NetOne, the country’s third largest cellco, said that the loan will ‘significantly impact on service and quality.’ Its managing director, Reward Kangai, announced: ‘We hope that with this provision, we will be able to cover the whole country,’ adding that subscribers will rise ‘from 700,000 to two million by the end of this year.’