Social Media Engagement Analysis for Zimbabwean ISPs

The Internet Service Provision (ISP) sector in Zimbabwe has long been characterized by high barriers to entry and a certain level of gatekeeping. Because it is a capital-intensive industry, the established players have managed to grow significantly in a market where demand is massive but suppliers are limited. This report is a deep dive into the social media performance of five key players, Liquid Home, Telco, Dtel, TelOne, and Utande, to see how they are faring on social media.

Please note: This analysis does not reflect actual business performance (revenue, profits, or membership); it is strictly a measure of social media performance and engagement based on publicly available data.

To properly rank these brands, we analyzed audience responses over a 105-day period (and a 3-month window for LinkedIn). These rankings are strictly engagement-based. Our Engagement Score (ES) was calculated by taking the total number of likes from all posts in the period and dividing them by the total number of posts. For Facebook, we averaged the like-based score and the comment-based score to get a more accurate picture of interaction. To ensure statistical relevance, any brand that posted fewer than 10 times during the period was awarded an ES of 0. Additionally, the Winsorization method was applied to qualify outliers and ensure the data wasn't skewed by a single viral post.

Telone

Liquid Home

Utande & Dtel

Telco

Let’s be real: across the board, social media marketing in this sector is, for lack of a better word, boring. We’re seeing a lot of "checking the boxes" but very little "breaking the mold." Most brands are stuck doing the basics, missing a massive opportunity to actually connect with an audience that is practically begging for transparency and engagement.

There’s a strange phenomenon happening where some brands boast high Engagement Scores (ES) on Facebook, purely because their comment sections are a battlefield of complaints and inquiries. In this sector, having more comments than likes usually isn't a sign of popularity, it’s a cry for help. When your engagement is driven by frustration rather than fans, your metrics are lying to you about the health of your brand.

Liquid Home, the actual market leader, currently holds high engagement on Facebook, but let’s not celebrate just yet; it is largely fueled by customer grievances rather than a cohesive content strategy. Their posting schedule feels random, and while they are the most active on LinkedIn in terms of volume, they rank near the bottom for actual engagement. This is a classic "quantity over quality" trap where the content doesn't resonate with the professional audience. Furthermore, their Facebook Messenger chatbot has become a major pain point, frequently leaving customers hanging and creating a feedback loop of frustration rather than providing a resolution.

Utande and Telco are essentially in the same boat, where their social media presence is nearly non-existent. For Utande, it feels as though they have hit operational capacity and are content with their current market share, making them essentially invisible to new prospects without a total strategy overhaul. Telco shows a similar pattern, appearing hesitant to showcase the brand or keep pace with modern digital trends. In a market this competitive, if you aren't actively selling and showcasing your value, you are simply waiting for a competitor to take your place.

As the leader in engagement ratings, TelOne has a significant platform, yet they haven't done anything truly exceptional in the last 105 days of data collection. The disparity between 10,000 likes and 13,000 comments tells a clear story of customer friction that needs addressing. On a positive note, their TikTok vibe is actually great; there is energy, trend-jumping, and a glimpse of the human faces behind the brand. However, they need to move beyond being a "once a month" poster on that platform to keep the momentum going.

Dtel came in hot after the Econet SmartBiz shift, leaning heavily on PPC ads to build quick awareness. Unlike the legacy players, they deserve credit for trying to respond to almost every comment, but they are currently suffering from being "tone-deaf." Running ads about "blazing speeds" when the comment section is a wall of complaints about network slowness creates a massive brand disconnect. Additionally, some of their video ads, like the "breeze" tarmac roll or the stunt where a girl falls to the floor, feel a bit hazardous and "cringe." Safety and professional polish need to be prioritized to build long-term trust.

Senior executives need to spend an hour a week reading their own Facebook comments because your customers are handing you a roadmap for your business strategy. Currently, that roadmap is being ignored. There are several critical pain points that keep surfacing without any real response from the brands:

The LTE Black Market: Unauthorized dealers are selling SIM cards at exorbitant prices while the official channels remain dry.

Capacity & Geo-locking: There is a loud demand for infrastructure investment to remove capacity tiers and restrictive geo-locks.

The Speed Gap: "Slow speeds" has become the universal anthem of the Zimbabwean ISP customer, yet ads continue to claim otherwise.

The "Blaze" Barrier: Customers are literally begging to give TelOne money for Blaze LTE, but the acquisition process remains a "mammoth task."

Customer experience is the only moat you have left. Right now, the sector is tone-deaf to the efficiency and transparency that Zimbabweans are looking for. As we move into 2026, Starlink is actively working to increase capacity in hubs like Harare. If local players don't pull their socks up and move from being reactive to being truly innovative, your market share won't just shift, it will elope. The bottom line is simple: innovate your customer journey now, or the "Dish" will eat your lunch.