The Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati, has pointed out that the persistent network challenges dogging mobile providers across the country will persist until the national power supply improves.
Giving a ministerial statement in parliament this afternoon, Mutati directly attributed the communication shut-downs to the ongoing power outages.
He highlighted that the current three hours of power supplied by ZESCO is insufficient for telecommunication towers because while they have backup generators, they were only designed to operate for a maximum of four hours after a power cut.
He has emphasised that the situation would not improve until the country has sufficient power supply to industries.
In response to calls for increased competition, Mutati has asserted that introducing a new mobile service provider is not a solution to the current crisis.
He has argued that no investor, local or foreign, would enter the sector amidst the current energy instability.
Mutati states that the government will only consider bringing in a new investor after it has successfully dealt with the prevailing energy crisis.