HARARE – TelOne has fired a decisive shot in Zimbabwe’s fast-shifting ICT landscape with the launch of its Omni Contact Centre, a full-scale outsourcing hub designed to push the state-owned operator beyond its traditional telecoms identity and deeper into the high-value digital services economy.
Unveiled in Harare, the 102-seater centre is powered by TelOne’s main digital infrastructure hub, the same campus hosting the company’s data centre and cloud platforms, and is now positioned as a national engine room for customer experience outsourcing, digital support, and multi-channel contact services.
ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera, commissioning the facility, called it “a pivotal milestone” for Zimbabwe’s digital transformation agenda. “This occasion signifies a crucial enhancement to service delivery capabilities, fostering better communication, engagement, and connectivity to our citizens,” she said.
@TateMavetera
stressed that the Omni Center is fully aligned with NDS2’s digitalisation priorities. “It embodies our commitment to leveraging technology to improve the quality of services available to the public and business alike,” she said. Mavetera added that the launch dovetails with Vision 2030, describing it as part of “a future where technology acts as an enabler for progress and development across all sectors.”
For TelOne, the Omni Contact Center is the clearest evidence yet of a business deliberately reinventing itself.
“The Omni Contact Center has been fully set up and is ready for full-scale operations,” CEO Eng. Lawrence Nkala said. “The 102-seater center is dedicated to handling multi-client inbound, outbound, and digital services. The center is available for both local and international clients.”
Nkala said the investment is part of TelOne’s decision to repurpose its real estate and pivot to new revenue streams. “The Omni Contact Center represents a shift from being just a communication services provider to becoming a digitally enabled customer experience partner,” he said.
He also pointed to the global surge in business-process outsourcing, saying the new facility positions Zimbabwe to capture export earnings and create work opportunities. “This industry is growing globally and presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to create employment, export services, and gain foreign currency,” he said.
The center integrates voice, email, live chat, social media, analytics, and AI-enabled self-service tools, a configuration Nkala said is the backbone of the “Omni” concept. “It seamlessly integrates multiple customer interaction channels, ensuring systematic, intelligent, and efficient engagement,” he said.
In a boost to youth employment, Nkala said the project is directly tied to the national digital economy agenda. “We expect this center to create over 165 jobs, largely targeted to young people,” he said. “This center is not just a building. It is a platform for innovation, a platform for jobs, and a platform for excellence.”
The facility also opens new service lines for TelOne, including inbound troubleshooting support, outbound telemarketing and debt collection, data-entry functions, back-office processing, and a “rent a chair” model that gives companies immediate access to TelOne’s infrastructure while using their own agents.
Nkala credited the Mutapa Investment Fund for supporting the reinvention of state-owned enterprises through patient and strategic capital. “This center demonstrates the value of patient capital and the importance of aligning state-owned enterprises with national strategic intent,” he said.
With competition intensifying and connectivity margins tightening, TelOne’s move into digitally enabled customer experience solutions marks a significant shift in Zimbabwe’s telecoms sector, from pipes and towers to platforms and services.
