IMC Communications, the exclusive distributor of Starlink Services in Zimbabwe, has with immediate effect appointed information technology expert and former ZOL executive, Mr Denny Marandure, as its managing director.
In a statement, IMC said Mr Marandure would oversee the implementation and aggressive rollout and adoption of Starlink internet service in the country.
The Government recently approved the licencing of IMC as global satellite internet services giant Starlink's sole official partner in Zimbabwe.
"Mr Marandure brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, expertise and skills in the ICT industry and is well known for his role as ZOL chief executive officer (the Internet Service Provider of Liquid Intelligent Technologies), where he led the most successful roll out and adoption of Fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in Zimbabwe," said IMC.
It said Mr Marandure was a global technology expert with extensive years of providing value to large, global and dynamic Fortune 500 companies in the US, such as IBM, Lucent Technologies and Verizon Communications, the world's largest telecoms firm.
Under his leadership, ZOL Zimbabwe became a brand name and won numerous awards.
For his business leadership and innovation, he has received multiple awards, which include "Tanzania's Top 10 Digital Economic Leaders 2023" from Digital Economy Magazine, Businessman of the Year Award from the Ministry of Information Communication Technology Zimbabwe and Marketing Oriented CEO of the Year from the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Prior to this appointment, Mr Marandure was chief executive of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Tanzania and Zanzibar.
"Denny brings a lot of passion, value, unique leadership qualities and energy to the internet service sector and we have no doubt that under his stewardship, Starlink will be a game changer in the ISP sector in Zimbabwe and will play a pivotal role in achieving the vision 2030 as outlined by President Mnangagwa.
"Innovation is key to the achievement of the Vision 2030 objective of an upper-middle income digital economy.
The inauguration of Starlink, a satellite technology company, not only provides high-speed internet access to remote areas but also contributes to global digital inclusion.
The deployment of Starlink is meant to ensure that no place and no one is left behind.
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"Mr Marandure will therefore, be a valuable asset and addition to our organisation, charged with the responsibility to drive the objectives of the company and to complement the Government's efforts in promoting digital innovation and technology development in Zimbabwe," IMC said
Starlink is expected to redefine the ISP frontier in Zimbabwe, leading to an increase in competition and innovation in the internet market, resulting in lower prices, better connectivity and internet quality for consumers.
The satellite internet service technology promises to address several longstanding issues plaguing internet access in the country and potentially unlock significant economic and social benefits.
While fibre optic cables offer the potential for the fastest internet speeds, their deployment in Zimbabwe faces significant challenges. Building and maintaining fibre infrastructure is expensive.
Cable theft, often targeting copper but damaging fibre in the process, further inflates maintenance costs.
Fibre optic networks are also virtually non-existent in rural areas and townships, leaving a large portion of the population without access to high-speed internet.
Even in urban areas, the cost of extending fibre to individual homes can be prohibitive.
Unlike traditional mobile network operators (MNOs) with their often-prohibitive data plans, Starlink offers uncapped internet access for a potentially lower monthly cost.
