The Parade April 2013 | Page 31

bining Business, Careers & Technology al Responsibility ness Model receiver and, of course, the lantern. The chargers have a warranty of six months and are expected to have a lifetime of up to five years. According to Mandivenga, Econet carried out a survey to determine the possible losses his company was incurring as a result of power outages. The survey determined that possible losses from switched off phones ranged from between 20 to 30 percent of revenues realised and this is what compelled them to come up with innovative ways of reducing the losses. Econet currently enjoys about 70 percent of the mobile telephone market. Dorothy Zimuto, head of Econet Solar, demonstrated how the charger works and explained that the charging system was compatible with all mobile phones including the Apple Iphones. She also confirmed that customer support and repair centres would be launched this month to assist customers who may experience problems with the second generation charger (SW15) as well as the first generation ones. When asked about its revolutionary Home Power Station- a stand alone electricity solution designed for those in areas where there is no access to reliable power - Econet’s management could not comment, saying they were in a closed period. This is the time between the completion of a listed company’s financial results and the announcing of these results to the public. Mandivenga however, said the pilot project of the product has been a resounding success and soon the company will be making an announcement towards that. TP Darlington Mandivenga & Dorothy Zimuto, demonstrate how the solar charger and lantern work The solar lanterns that have been availed as part of Econet’s CSR strategy As Econet Alleviates Customers’ Power Woes The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine April 2013 Page 31