Published: 06 September 2018

ZIMBABWE has called on the international community of postal regulatory authorities to be cautious before implementing a planned blanket mandatory tracking system on parcels, arguing it could hit operators hard.

Contributing to debate at the ongoing Universal Postal Union (UPU) extraordinary congress underway in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) director-general Gift Machengete said the plan should be assessed how it impacts on operators.

"The tracking of postal items is an integral part of service delivery which has to be implemented," he told delegates from across the world.

"However, due care and caution has to be exercised when implementing the tracking system."

Machengete argued that mandatory tracking would cripple operators.

"Implementing mandatory tracking of items immediately will no doubt cripple operators financially when they still to upgrade the tracking infrastructure," the Potraz boss said.

Machengete added that Zimbabwe would recommend that regulatory authorities find ways of capacitating operators before the planned blanket mandatory tracking.

"Zimbabwe's view is that operators still need to be capacitated in terms of the software and hardware such as scanners, computers as well servers for them to be able to track items," he said.

"Zimbabwe, therefore, recommends that mandatory tracking should be considered after assessing its financial impact on operators and a concrete programme of infrastructure upgrading should be put in place.

"The integrated remuneration plan which is an essential part of integrated product plan (IPP) implementation must not disadvantage operators. The current terminal dues are country specific and they are derived from country specific costs of delivery."

The extraordinary congress ends tomorrow and discussions also centred around implementation of UPU's IPP plan and the integrated remuneration plan as well as the sustainability of the global postal body's provident scheme.

UPU is a grouping of the globe's 192 postal regulators whose congress is held every four years.


- newsday

You might also want to read this

• Zimbabweans dump internet bundles
• Potraz boosts Govt's e-learning initiative
• Potraz, telcos in base stations deal
• Anti-corruption special unit dumps Potraz boss's case
• Telecoms operators urged to take consumers' grievances seriously
• No to internet abuse, says Potraz
• Potraz breaks foreign networks dominance
• Potraz boss in court for corruption
• Potraz intensifies consumer awareness campaigns
• Potraz rolls out 146 CICs countrywide