Zambian telcos face difficulties amid extended power outages

These blackouts, driven by climate change and infrastructural issues, are significantly impacting the quality of services provided by mobile network operators such as MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia, and Zamtel.

The Global System for Mobile Communication Association of Zambia (GSMAZ) has highlighted the damning effects of these extended power outages. The blackouts, which can last up to 14 hours a day, have forced telecom companies to rely heavily on backup generators. However, these generators are only designed to provide power for a maximum of four hours.

"The power backup at the telecom sites is generally designed to last up to a maximum of four hours, however, owing to the current unprecedented 13 to 14 hours of daily load shedding, there is a huge cost variance not only for the fuel and generator maintenance but also for the associated fuel delivery logistics for the mobile network operators," noted GSMAZ.

The reliance on generators has led to increased operational costs for fuel and maintenance. The frequent need for refuelling and servicing of generators disrupts the continuity of service, leading to compromised quality of telecommunications services.

"Though backup power is available at these sites through generators, instances when there is electricity downtime, and extended load shedding hours, our provision of quality of service is compromised as the generators now require constant refuelling and more frequent servicing cycles," GSMAZ added.

According to Connecting Africa, The root cause of these power outages is largely attributed to severe climate change. Lake Kariba, Zambia's largest man-made lake, has lost over 98% of its water, drastically reducing its capacity to generate electricity.

This has forced the state-owned power utility, ZESCO, to implement rolling blackouts to manage the limited power supply.