5G isn't just about speed.It's about keeping up with exploding demand.
Housing counts from Google Maps. Demand estimates assume four devices per home, one in five active at once, and five times the data use per active device.
750 homes became 3,900 in the same neighbourhood.
Plots that once held one home now hold several. Google Maps counts show an increase from 750 to 3,900 homes within the same area. Assuming each converted plot holds 10 homes, that would mean around 350 plots were redeveloped and 400 remained single homes.
Same neighbourhood. 12,600 more devices.
More homes bring more phones, laptops, tablets and smart TVs. At four devices per home, 750 homes would have around 3,000 devices. With 3,900 homes, that rises to 15,600 over five times as many devices in the same area.
More connected devices. More demand from each one.
More phones, tablets and smartwatches are connecting to the network, adding to the demand from each household. Our model assumes five times the average demand per active device. Combined with 5.2 times as many devices, that means 26 times the demand on the network.
(750 → 3,900)
(1 Mbps → 5 Mbps)
5G creates room.
More homes can fill it again.
Same neighbourhood. Four stations.
More homes and heavier use change what they need to carry.
Modelled demand compared with network capacity
Illustrative model, not measured network utilisation. Four devices per home; one in five active. Stages 2–4 assume five times the demand per active device. Four stations throughout: assumed combined capacity of 5.4 Gbps on 4G or 24 Gbps on 5G. Full conversion means ten homes on each of the 750 original plots.
12 stations.
Or just 3.
Serving the estimated demand from 3,900 homes would take around 12 4G stations—or 3 5G stations—in our model. Each 5G station can carry more traffic, helping the network keep up with more connected devices.
Each icon represents one station.
NetOne led 4G additions.
Econet led 5G.
In April–June 2025, NetOne added 224 4G stations and Econet added 66 5G stations. Both operators expanded both technologies, but at different paces.
Across Zimbabwe, operators added 246 4G stations and 68 5G stations that quarter.
Station counts: POTRAZ Q2 2025 Sector Performance Report, Table 7. Capacity: author's illustrative model.
What's reported, mapped, and modelled
POTRAZ's Q2 2025 Sector Performance Report ; base station net additions by technology and operator.
Housing counts for Greendale Avenue and the surrounding houses from Google Maps, cross-referenced against public cell-site/band mapping ; household count (750 to 3,900) and existing base station count (4).
A redevelopment assumption of 10 households per converted plot; device modelling of 4 devices/household and 20% simultaneously active; per-station capacity assumptions of 1.35 Gbps (4G/LTE) and 6 Gbps (5G); per-device demand scenarios of 1 Mbps and 5 Mbps. All Gbps totals, percentages and station-equivalence figures in this piece are derived from these assumptions, not carrier-reported or independently measured.
First published as a thread by Harvey Binamu on X, 30 September 2025.
Deep Dive Data covers Zimbabwe capital markets and financial products.