ZOL Zimbabwe’s public wifi platform - ZOLspot - has been awarded the International Arch of Europe (IAE) Award in the Gold category at the International BID Quality Convention to be held in Germany this July, 2017.
The Business Initiative Directive (BID) has been in existence for 31 years and is known worldwide for quality culture recognition.
The award that ZOLspot has received recognizes and encourages the contribution of organizations and companies to quality, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
Bagging this award is a big deal for ZOLspot and well-deserved for the following reasons:
1. ZOLspot enjoys dominance in public wifi network service
There are reportedly 877 public wifi hotspots in Zimbabwe, according to a Potraz report. Of these 877 public wifi hotspots, ZOL Zimbabwe owns over 300 ZOLspots nationwide making it the leading service provider in offering public wifi networks.
The dominance of ZOLspot in the public wifi network service stems from its Fibroniks-on-the-Go innovation, which seeks to improve customer satisfaction for its customers.
Fibroniks-on-the-Go is a homegrown innovation that allows ZOL’s Fibroniks customers to access their home internet from any ZOLspot nationwide. The more ZOLspots there are, the more connectivity and convenience ZOL Fibroniks clients enjoy.
2. ZOLspot promotes internet access for everyone
There are some facts and figures about ZOLspot that are easy to quantify. What is harder to quantify is how many students have been able to complete assignments using the ZOLspot service or how many people successfully applied for jobs through ZOLspot.
In short, numerous internet users have been positively impacted by ZOLspots where an hour of free wifi is offered daily to every user. Whether they are travelling or at an event or at a college or simply hanging out in a mall, there are thousands of Zimbabweans and visitors who have benefited from free ZOLspot wifi at numerous strategic and high traffic locations.
Whilst the IAE award that ZOL is receiving is premised on research and analysis carried out through Quality Hunters, leaders, entrepreneurs and experts in quality – locally, ZOLspot has made its mark by positively impacting educational, business and social spaces.
3. ZOLspot enhances educational spaces
Within the education sector, ZOLspot has a marked presence in many tertiary institutions across the country including Speciss College, Bindura University, Seke Teachers’ College, Kwekwe Polytechnic College, Masvingo and Bulawayo Polytechnical Colleges amongst others.
The availability of ZOLspot wifi has ensured that students and youth in those areas (who often venture onto the premises to catch the wifi signal) can benefit. For instance, they can easily refer to e-books and study online and at no extra cost if they take advantage of the one hour of free wifi.
4. ZOLspot boosts traffic for businesses
In the business arena, ZOLspot has drawn significant traffic for entities such as Innscor, Cresta hotels, KFC, including malls such as Longcheng, Sam Levy’s Village, Joina City, Avondale Shopping Centre and other strategic locations. Restaurants such as Fishmonger, Amanzi, Maestro, Pariah State and St Elmo’s also offer ZOLspot wifi.
Businesses that have partnered with ZOLspot are able to offer complimentary wifi to their patrons and enjoy one of the biggest benefits, which is an increase in the time patrons spend on their premises. By providing public wifi zones, ZOLspot has played a huge role in lowering the barrier to internet access and bridging the digital divide.
Since ZOLspot wifi is available at various locations like all our airports and at high traffic hang outs like KwaMereki, and Kuwadzana 1 Shops ZOL is ensuring that no members of the community are left behind as everyone who finds their way to a ZOLspot can get online.
5. ZOLspot enables millennials to improve internet skills
For Zimbabwe's millennials, ZOLspots are spaces that can bolster innovation, especially as the number of internet users grows and the number of internet devices on the market increases.
The importance of internet cannot be overstated because nowadays people need to be connected regardless of where they are and ZOLspot has responded to this need. ZOL has conveniently provided the myZOL mobile app (download on Google Play or AppStore) helps users locate the nearest ZOLspots in their vicinity.
Zimbabwe may be a long way from the smart city dream, but ZOL Zimbabwe is leading the charge on providing innovative solutions to bridge the internet access divide and give our millennials a fighting chance in a world where digital literacy and internet skills are a formidable advantage. Our youth deserve to live like this!
6. ZOLspot offers wifi for Events
Apart from impacting specific locations, ZOLspots public wifi networks can be set up for social events for a fee, to enable attendees, to be connected and to share the proceedings online. ZOLspots offer an affordable alternative to internet access. With over 100 000 unique users on the ZOLspot platform every month, it is evident that Zimbabweans are appreciative of the platform which now also offers advertising space on its portal.
Source - myZOL Staff Writer