“telex service” means a telecommunication service by means of which a person using the service may
communicate by means of printed letters and figures through the medium of a teleprinter with another
person using the service;
“transmission”, in relation to
(a) a telegram, includes the reception as well as the sending thereof;
(b) a postal article, includes the depositing by the sender of the article in a post box;
“under-serviced area” bears the meaning assigned to that term by section seventy-two.
(2) For the purposes of this Act
(a) a postal article shall be deemed to be in course of transmission by post from the time of its delivery to a
post office and until it is delivered to the person to whom it is addressed or returned to the sender or
otherwise disposed of under this Act;
(b) the placing of an article in any post box or the delivery of an article to an employee of a postal licensee
in the course of his duties shall be deemed to be delivery to a post office;
(c) the delivery of a postal article in terms of this Act shall be deemed to be delivery to the person to whom
the postal article is addressed;
(d) in the case of a building which consists of a number of self-contained residences commonly known as
flats, each such flat shall be regarded as a single building.
(3) Any reference in this Act to
(a) the provision, reception or transmission of a cellular telecommunication or telecommunication service
includes the provision or reception within or transmission to Zimbabwe of any such service transmitted
by satellite;
(b) the operation in Zimbabwe of a cellular telecommunication or telecommunication system includes the
operation in Zimbabwe of cellular telecommunication or telecommunication apparatus that is connected
to a cellular telecommunication or telecommunication system operated outside Zimbabwe.
PART II
ESTABLISHMENT, FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF POSTAL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY
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Establishment of Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe
There is hereby established an authority, to be known as the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority of Zimbabwe which shall be a body corporate capable of suing and being sued in its corporate name
and, subject to this Act, of performing all acts that bodies corporate may by law perform.
[Section amended by section 18 of Act 14 of 2002]
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Functions and powers of Authority
(1) Subject to this Act, the functions of the Authority shall be
(a) to ensure the provision of sufficient domestic and international telecommunication and postal services
throughout Zimbabwe on such terms and conditions as the Authority may fix;
(b) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a), to ensure that any person by whom any
telecommunication or postal service falls to be provided is able to provide those services at rates
consistent with the provision of an efficient and continuous service and the necessity of maintaining
independent financial viability;
(c) to promote the development of postal and telecommunication systems and services in accordance with
practicable recognised international standards and public demand;
(d) to exercise licensing and regulatory functions in respect of postal and telecommunication systems and
services in Zimbabwe, including the establishment of standards and codes relating to equipment
attached to telecommunication systems;
(e) to exercise licensing and regulatory functions in respect of the allocation and use of satellite orbits and
the radio frequency spectrum in Zimbabwe for all purposes, including the establishment of standards
and codes relating to any matter in connection therewith;
(f) to secure that reasonable demands for postal and telecommunication services are satisfied;
(g) to promote the interests of consumers, purchasers and other users, in respect of the quality and variety of
postal and telecommunication services provided and telecommunication apparatus supplied;
(h) to maintain and promote effective competition between persons engaged in the provision of postal and
telecommunication services and any activities connected therewith;
(i) to monitor tariffs charged by cellular telecommunication, postal and telecommunication licensees with a
view to eliminating unfair business practices among such licensees;
(j) to promote and encourage the expansion of postal and telecommunication services;
(k) to further the advancement of technology relating to postal and telecommunication systems and services;
(l) to represent Zimbabwe internationally in matters relating to postal and telecommunication services;
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