ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank God for the strength and wisdom he has given me profusely through my
University Education and the guidance to the successful completion of my industrial attachment.

My deepest gratitude also goes to TelOne management and staff for offering me the chance to be
part of the team and their unwavering support in my learning process in all the departments i took
part in .Special mention to Mr Makaza who aided me to be time efficient and pay special attention
to detail by giving me minimum time for work assignment completion.

I express my heartful indebtedness to my academic supervisor Mr Motsi and attachment field

supervisor Mr Makaza for their valuable guidance and inspiration in completing my field
attachment. Also, for their unrelenting efforts in assessing my progress through the duration of my
attachment and the constructive criticism which helped to improve my interpersonal skills.

My appreciation also goes to my family for their moral and financial support. i also thank my
friends for their encouragement and motivation that kept me focused for the entire attachment
period.

The study has indeed helped me to explore more knowledgeable avenues related to my
telecommunications career and i am sure it will help me in my future. it would be my pleasure to
work with TelOne again in the future.

1
 ABSTRACT

This report is prepared in partial fulfilment of the requirements of B.Eng. Honours Degree in
Telecommunications Engineering. it will highlight the author’s work-related learning experience
during his placement as a telecoms engineering intern at Telone in the following departments
namely infrastructure Operations, Retail and information Systems. The Duration of the attachment
was 6 months.

This report will outline the work roles, the responsibilities, achievements, activities and challenges
faced by the student during the course of the attachment. The report also seeks to portray
organizational background of TelOne Pvt Ltd, its operations and the products and services it offers
.it also gives an overview of how the theory he learnt at university was a rigid foundation
undertaking his assignments and duties during the attachment period hence gaining the practical
experience of the field jobs.

2
 Abbreviations and Acronym
ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

ATS – Abstract Test Suite

CMED – Central Mechanical Equipment Demand

DEOD – Digital Entertainment On Demand

HSS – Home Subscriber Server

ICT – Information and Communications Technology

IMS – IP Multimedia Subsystem

IP – Internet Protocol

RJ – Registered Jack

VLAN – Virtual Local Area Network

VSAT – Very Small Aperture Terminal

Wi-Fi – Wireless Fidelity

3
Table of Figures

Figure 1:Organogram ................................................................................................................ 10

Figure 2: Location Schematic .................................................................................................... 11

Figure 3:Run command ............................................................................................................. 26

Figure 4:Ip address tab .............................................................................................................. 26

4
Contents
1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................7

1.1 Company Background ...................................................................................................7

1.2 Company History ..........................................................................................................8

1.3 Corporate Culture..........................................................................................................9

1.4 Company and Society Connection .................................................................................9

1.5 Organisational Structure.............................................................................................. 10

1.6 Company location schematic ....................................................................................... 11

1.7 Company products and services .................................................................................. 12

2 CHAPTER 2: INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES ....................................................................... 17

2.1 Host Departments of the Attachment ........................................................................... 18

2.1.1 Infrastructure Operations...................................................................................... 18

2.1.2 Retail ................................................................................................................... 20

2.1.3 Information Systems ............................................................................................ 20

2.2 Tasks Completed......................................................................................................... 21

2.2.1 Infrastructure Operations...................................................................................... 21

2.2.2 Retail ................................................................................................................... 23

2.2.3 Information Systems ............................................................................................ 25

2.3 Personal and professional development ....................................................................... 27

2.3.1 Formal learning courses ....................................................................................... 27

2.3.2 Key Skills Development ...................................................................................... 28

2.3.3 Personal Development ......................................................................................... 28

5
 2.3.4 Challenges faced .................................................................................................. 29

3 CHAPTER 3: PROJECTS ................................................................................................. 30

3.1 Installation of CCTV cameras at TelOne Runhare House. ........................................... 30

3.2 Replacing a damaged 400M part of HARARE-MUTARE backbone fiber ................... 30

3.3 Remounting and reinstallation of IS servers at the Data Center. ................................... 31

4 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................... 32

4.1 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 32

4.2 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 32

5 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................. 33

6
1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Company Background

TelOne Zimbabwe (Pvt) ltd is a Telecommunications parastatal company owned by Zimbabwe

government headquartered in the capital city, Harare at Runhare House ,107 Kwame Nkrumah
Avenue. its core business focuses on provision of telecommunications services and products
through its major branding namely Voice, Broadband and Satellite. its operating license number
is PTS020001.

It is Zimbabwe’s sole fixed landline services provider which has a well-established Public
Switched Telephone Network which has been its main trademark for a number of years .TelOne
owns an extensive variety of telecommunications equipment varying from optical fiber networks,
telephone exchanges around the nation, radio network systems plus other high tech systems which
includes a satellite base station located in Mazowe area of Mashonaland Central Province of
Zimbabwe and a highly secure Data Centre at its Harare Main Exchange. TelOne has the widest
network coverage in Zimbabwe anchored on its robust backbone infrastructure, fibre, satellite and
traditional copper, which has seen connectivity in every corner of the country becoming a reality.

TelOne as a state-owned entity has its overall functions which is to deploy, operate and manage
telecommunications infrastructure that provides Data and Voice services, Digital Solutions and
Research & Training in a profitable which helps in the economical development of Zimbabwe.
The company motto is “Bringing you together”, which clearly denotes the organization’s role in
using advanced telecommunications technology to create a digitally connected society to enhance
the lives of citizens by delivery of efficient communication technologies such as high-speed
internet and voice services, advanced smart health facilities and education (eLearning) etc.

7
TelOne has been able to provide high speed internet services to an ordinary citizen of Zimbabwe
at affordable prices due to its shareholding in the West indian Ocean Cable Company (WiOCC),
which has a major stake in the East African Submarine System (EASSy) cable as well as West
Africa Cable System (WACS).

The company owns a fully equipped training facility – the TelOne Centre For Learning (TCFL)
which nurtures creativity, innovation, new smarter ways of working, interacting and learning to
support modern ICT and business dynamics. it also owns flats and residential houses around the
country for instance the Lady Stanley Hostel in Harare which is also a source of revenue for entity.

1.2 Company History

The history of TelOne Zimbabwe goes back to 1890 when the first Post Office was opened in
Southern Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe). in 1892 the British South Africa Company
(BSAC) started the first postal service and facilitated the service as a self-governing control under
the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

in the year 1980, when the state got its independence, the Zimbabwe Postal Services Amendment
Act which was promulgated through Statutory instrument 175 was formulated and this gave birth
to the Postal and Telecommunications Act to set up the Posts and Telecommunications
Corporation of Zimbabwe (PTC). PTC’s principal business was the provision of postal and
telecommunications services to the people of Zimbabwe.

There was a new legislation in the Postal Services Act in 1987 which resulted in PTC decoupling
into 3 new entities namely TelOne-a fixed telecommunications provider, NetOne- a mobile
network provider and ZimPost- postal services company. All these companies were monitored and
regulated by Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ).
TelOne has grown expeditiously to become the second largest fixed line network in southern
Africa after Telkom South Africa.

8
1.3 Corporate Culture

Vision

Digitally enabled society by 2023.

Mission Statement

To provide connectivity and digital solutions.

Company Core Values

Client Centric - Our clients are the centre of our existence and we will continuously engage them
to deliver superior service at all times.

Commitment - We are dedicated to deliver value to all stakeholders.

Innovation - We promote a culture of creativity and innovation to improve and develop cutting
edge products and services.

Accountability - We are accountable for our actions which will remain compliant, professional
and reliable.

Excellence - We strive to continuously improve ourselves in line with changing developments in

the sector.

Teamwork - We complement each other’s effort in delivering superior client service.

1.4 Company and Society Connection

TelOne as a company has been a key player in participating in other social and moral activities
outside the ICT industry which does benefit the whole society of Zimbabwe. TelOne employees
engage in keeping the cities of the clean by doing paper picking around all towns in the country
after every few months. TelOne collaborated with its sister company NetOne and donated some
money to the state to help towards Covid 19 personal protective equipment for health care officials
and relief fund. TelOne give opportunities to local artists to the entity brand ambassadors.

9
1.5 Organisational Structure

TelOne has an organisational structure that clearly defines the company’s hierarchy and its relative
departments. It is crucial in showing how task allocation, supervision and decision-making flows
through all the respective management in the company.

Managing Director

Finance and Divisional Divisional Director Divisional

Corporate Services Digital Innovation
Admin Director Director Retail Infrastructure & Director T.C.F.L
Director Director
Wholesale

HR & Admin Wholesale & Head Technical Company

Regional Business Head Innovation Audit & Risk Secretary &
Head Finance Manager Unit Head Carrier Services Training
Northern Executive Legal Advisor
Head

Financial Employee Regional Business Infrastructure Head Business Cyber Security Legal &
Accounting Relations Unit Head Operations Head Commercial Training Manager Compliance
Manager Manager South Manager Manager

Regional Business Digital Services

Senior Manager Strategy & Bus National Planning Finance Manager Audit Manager
Unit Head Head
Administration Performance Harare Head
Manager

Marketing & National General Manager Business

Head Facilities Officer Assurance
Business Dev Implementation ZITCO
Procurement Talent & OD Manager
Head Head
Manager

Channel Business
Information Librarian Loss Control
Manager Distribution Processes
Corporate Systems Head Manager
Management Manager Manager
Accounting & MIS Communications
Head
Corporate
Enterprise ICT Specialist
Revenue Finance Manager Finance
Business Head Enterprise Risk
Assurance Officer – Infrastructure & Manager
Analyst
Wholesale
Account
Client Experience
Manager
Manager

Senior Finance
Manager -Retail

Billing &
Receivables
Manager

Figure 1:Organogram

10
1.6 Company location schematic

Figure 2: Location Schematic

11
1.7 Company products and services

TelOne as a bigger player in the country’s iCT industry offer many products and services such as
voice, broadband, satellite, cloud solutions, data centre and hosting etc with the use of different
technologies for instance iMS, MPLS, SDH, VSAT, GPON, xDSL, Frame Relay. Due to its robust
modern network infrastructure which includes the iMS, newer smart and efficient services are now
being offered at affordable prices for example Learners’ Tab and DEOD.

TelOne’s products and services are as follows:

Voice

Voice - it is a traditional voice service in which telephone voice calls are offered through fixed
landlines to businesses and individual customers with use of overhead copper cables. it is now
offered as either prepaid or postpaid in terms of subscriptions.

Broadband

Broadband is high speed internet access that is always on and fast than the traditional dial up access
.TelOne has been operating as an internet Access Provider in Zimbabwe as it provides backbone
network infrastructure and backhaul transmission to other mobile network providers in the country
.It also operates as an internet Service Provider as it wholesale or retail internet services like adsl,
dedicated internet service to other enterprises or individuals .The residential Broadband is retailed
in capped and uncapped internet in some of the following marketing brands Home Premier, Home
intense, intense supreme etc .Capped is retailed in different data caps for example
20GB,30GBAND 60GB .TelOne offers broadband service using the following technologies,

ADSL - it is a wireline transmission technology in which data is transmitted over the already
deployed traditional copper cables which are used for traditional voice service without
disturbing regular telephone calls .This technology is ideally for residential service who surfs
the internet more than sending data as the download and upload speed is asymmetric that
means download speed is greater than the upload speed .Adsl is shared bandwidth that means
sometimes speeds can be determined by the amount of traffic on the lines . TelOne Adsl can
reach speeds of up to 5Mbps for the downstream depending on the package selected.

12
FTTH - it is a broadband network architecture that make use of optical fiber as the transmission
medium to deliver communications signal from TelOne’s switching equipment directly to the
premises of the customer utilizing the GPON technology. This technology offers great
improvements in terms of bandwidth available to the customer hence faster two-way internet
connection speeds of up to 100Mb/s.

Dedicated internet Service - This is a fixed bandwidth internet connection service between a
client and iSP which is TelOne in this case and is only designated for that one client at all
times. This service offers high speed internet hence improving critical communications and
collaborative work in an organization. It helps companies because you purchase the amount of
bandwidth you require at any times that is if you want 50MB, the you get that at all times.
Other advantages are that it gives the customer synchronous download and upload speeds and
better throughput.

TelOne Public Wi-Fi -TelOne has managed to set up wifi hotspots in public areas nationwide
for example taxi ranks(Copa cabbana rank), shopping malls(Joina city ), universities and
restaurants( Chicken inn) in which people can just purchase a data recharge voucher either
online or in any TelOne shop and connect instantly to enjoy fast internet browsing.

International Private Leased Circuit -TelOne offers a point to point dedicated leased line of
constant bandwidth to enable ever-ready connectivity between geographically dispersed
clients or offices throughout the world .This service is ideal for Multinationals companies that
moves high volumes of data now and then and cannot afford network downtime since the
circuit will be secure, private and constant .The target market for this service is also Mobile
Network Operators(MNO), Internet Access Providers(IAP) and Internet Service
Provider(ISP).

Virtual Private Network - it is a private network that makes use of the public or shared network
whereby there is encrypted connection from a device to the network .TelOne has been able to
make sure clients’ sensitive data is securely transmitted between devices in the VPN while also
maintaining data integrity by use of the tunnelling protocol and newer security protocols .It
offers the services from the IP/MPLS over fiber or copper at affordable prices.

13
VoiP – it is a more convenient service in which customers are able to make phone calls by use
of broadband connection instead of regular landline phone service. The company offers reliable
and fast internet connection due to its robust optical fiber links across the nation hence VoiP
service will work efficiently. This service also helps business with cutting costs of paying for
both broadband and traditional voice and also collaborative teamwork between employers
since it can be mobile for example eSpace application which has since been utilized in the
company as a unified communications tool.

Satellite

VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal ) – TelOne offers internet service to offices or homes
in remote locations through VSAT (internet over satellite) which is a two-way satellite ground
station or a stabilized maritime VSAT antenna with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3 meters
.The service can also be used to offer narrowband data which can be used for less bandwidth
demanding processes like point of sale transactions using credit cards .TelOne offers VSAT
on the Ku, Ka and C band.

Voice over Satellite – it is a voice service delivered over a VSAT network. The solution will
vary depending on the customer needs. TelOne enables end-to-end VoiP connectivity and
provides the VoiP equipment. At the VSAT side, the customer connects the VoiP phones or
VoiP adapters to the VSAT LAN.

14
Other services and solutions

Data Centre and Hosted Services – TelOne has a modern and secure tier 3 data centre which
is one of the few in the nation. it offers cloud services through the following,

Infrastructure as a Service (iaaS)- The data centre provides large data storage facilities,
networking components, computer hardware and servers.

Software as a Service (SaaS)- The data centre host applications and make it available
to customers over the internet or via Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Software to be
distributed include but is not limited to the following: Accounting software ERP
software, point of sale payroll, email & web hosting.

Platform as a Service (PaaS)- TelOne Data Centre provide software development tools
such as database management and development language support to customers seeking
development of cloud applications.

DEOD – Is an online media streaming service which offers the people of Zimbabwe lots of
entertainment material for instance movies, reality shows, music and tv series to watch online
and rent for offline watching. The service can be accessed anywhere there is internet access
once one pay the subscription fee. TelOne has been able to offer this service by utilising the
IMS fast processing power and speed and storage.

Learner’s Tab - TelOne offers an online and offline learning platform for students who are in
secondary school through this service hence having a helping hand in improving education
quality and delivery in the Zimbabwe. This service also rides on the IMS hence it can be
accessed at all times and is very interactive.

eSpace Unified solutions - Partnering with Huawei TelOne brings its Enterprise clients Huawei
eSpace UC2.0, providing converged, consistent, and high-quality mobile office and
collaboration solutions for enterprise customers. The Huawei eSpace Unified Communications
(eSpace UC) solution integrates voice, data, video, and workflow technologies, and can be
widely used in applications ranging from home offices to large-sized enterprises. Secure
eSpace UC devices are available anytime, anywhere to enable enterprise employees to use
voice over IP (VoiP), collaborative conferencing, remote training, and office applications.

15
Prepaid electricity top up - This a service in which TelOne’s VPN route purchases of electricity
top up vouchers to the ZETDC database so that a token can be processed and served .Customers
can use the company’s Telpay payment facility to purchase the ZETDC electricity vouchers
by using Ecocash, Telecash , Visa or Mastercard thus also a marketing strategy to attract more
customers and also having a share of the mobile payment facilities market.

TelTrack – It is a new service for vehicle location tracking and fleet management. TelOne has
partnered with CMED to implement the service in all government vehicles so that management
of the vehicles will be easy and avoid car theft in the state.

16
2 CHAPTER 2: INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES

The work-related learning programme was introduced so that students can use the period to bridge
the gap between the theoretical knowledge acquired at the college and the industry demands and
duties so as to build in the professional way of undertaking work in the field .The duration of the
work related learning was 6 months which commenced in October 2019 and ended in March
2020.It is also necessary for interns to gain life skills like interpersonal, teamwork, communication
skills etc .The industrial attachment exposes the intern to the demand and challenges of the
workplace hence teaching the student work ethics and self-reliance life skills .The student is
supervised by both the on field supervisor and an academic supervisor so as to assist and monitor
the progress of the learner during the attachment. Students are obliged to go for industrial
attachment in already established private or state companies during the whole of the fourth year of
Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Telecommunications Engineering. Industrial training is also
beneficial to companies in that trainees can bring up some new good ideas which can help the
productivity of the company in terms of service delivery and profits .Organizations can use this
opportunity to scout for future recruitment of the company employees as students that displays
outstanding work abilities can be recruited in the future .The industrial training also helps to
establish a strong work relationship between the college and the companies to which its students
are attached .The industrial attachment gave the intern clarity on the different avenues of
telecommunications industry which includes data centre environment, network programming, data
networking, data analysis, network engineering, cyber security etc

17
2.1 Host Departments of the Attachment

Infrastructure Operations, Retail, Information Systems

2.1.1 Infrastructure Operations

It is a technical department which deals with the company’s network infrastructure

monitoring, maintenance and repair. it is headed by Eng Patrick Farai. it is
subdivided into a number of sub-departments namely: Network Operations Center,
Transmission (Core and Backbone), IMS, Electronic Repair Centre and Data.

Network Operations Center

is a centralized building which houses all the equipment and all the technical
personnel to monitor, supervise and maintain all networks of TelOne 24/7. The
equipment includes LED screens to display the behaviours of the networks
graphically, computers and servers used for management of the networks. Traffic
analysis and management for voice, data and video is also done in the NOC. Other
duties carried out here are optimization &quality of service reporting and back up
and storage management.

Transmission (core and backbone)

It maintains and manages the company’s robust core and backbone network across
the nation of both optical fiber and copper. Telecoms Technicians are always doing
regular physical check ups of any possible theft or physical damage to the different
routes backbone fiber link for example the Harare- Beitbridge link and the Harare-
Bulawayo-Plumtree. The technicians also make use of the Network Management
System (NMS) Software called U200 which puts out alarms of any link faults or
exchange down indicating exactly the name of the exchange and the time of
network failure. Optical fiber networks power checks are done daily while
monitoring any irregularities and predict faults.

18
Data

It is a section that deals with data (bandwidth) related services that includes initial
provision of a data service like allocation of constant bandwidth or IP address for
private network. The technicians in this section are also responsible for configuring
new switches and managing them remotely as well. Configuration of dedicated
internet services for a client is also done in this department where parameters like
upload and download speeds are capped. They also manage the DSLAM which is
responsible for data and voice multiplexing in the adsl technology. Creation and
management of VLANs is done in this section both for the company and clients. it
also helps media broadcasting by proving dedicated fiber circuits and iP addresses
and for live TV feed for example when ZBC wants to broadcast live from the
National Sports Stadium. GPON service is also activated and configured by the
personnel in the data section. in this department the subnetting skill that is learnt at
college is very useful as everything in centred on Data networks (internet protocol).

IMS

This section has access to the company’s IP Multimedia Subsystem and is able to
manage, edit and control the services offered important credentials like subscriber
information and port allocation for fixed landlines at the MDF (main distribution
frame) in different exchanges.

it used to be the section responsible for switching with the use of equipment like
the C& C08 before the IMS was implemented by the organization which has
transformed the delivery of multimedia services over IP networks. Voice, video and
text messaging all delivered via IP based network. This IMS section was crucial in
TelOne’s convergence era implementation as it is evolving the old TDM voice calls
to converged all IP networks that support voice and other multimedia services like
online media streaming platform in form of DEOD. The personnel who works in
this section helps telecoms technicians with a specific telephone number’s
matching exchange and cabinet details about its location on the MDF. They are also
responsible for activating and deactivating telephone services as per bills control
department requests.

19
 Electronic Repair Centre

This another sub department of infrastructure operations where certain faulty

electronic equipment of the company and its customers are repaired. The ERC is
located at TelOne Epton Street where a few qualified technicians are tasked with
the repairs of equipment from all TelOne branches across the nation. Some of the
equipment that is repaired are analog telephone handsets and DXR 200 radio cards.
This division serves to save costs for equipment repairs for the company and
promote skills development in electronics repairs for technicians and interns.

2.1.2 Retail

It is the department which handles the business side of the company that is the
selling of its products and services to customers for example adsl, public wifi etc.
TelOne has been able put the technical side of service installations and maintenance
under this division as this has a major role in revenue contribution to the company.
Since the company is divided into 3 regions in terms of location management
strategy, namely Harare, Northern and Southern, there are 3 head of the regions’
retail sector. At every exchange there is a business performance supervisor who
manages TelOne service installations and faults clearances so as to continue
boosting the revenue income from the clients and excellent quality of service that
satisfy customers. This division serves to improve how products are sold to
customers with satisfaction and service delivery is excellent hence more profits to
the business and one more step to the company’s vision of a digital society.

2.1.3 Information Systems

It is a department which deals with complementary networks of hardware and

software that TelOne as a company use to collect, create, analyse and distribute
important data throughout the organization set up nationwide. it is divided into 2
sub divisions namely Software and infrastructure.

The software side focuses on development and maintenance of web applications,

websites for the company. The infrastructure side works on the installations,
maintenance and management of IT infrastructure for example computers, servers,

20
 switches and printers. The IS department also manages network equipment in the
data centre which includes configuring the switches and managing them remotely.
TelOne LAN network is also managed and monitored in this department. The
company VLANs are created and managed by the information technology
technicians from this department which is located in the 11th and 12th floors of the
TelOne Runhare House Building which is the headquarters. Their role is crucial in
the function of company as a whole as the IT service forms the base of how the
company works that includes billing and collaborative work through the VLANS
and the LAN networks which they make sure they are always secure and running.

2.2 Tasks Completed

2.2.1 Infrastructure Operations

IMS

The intern checked which MSAN, card number and port a requested telephone number was
configured at and passed the details to the telecommunications technician for example the
details for 242XXXXXX is MSAN2/5/14. The student configured a new telephone line
which wanted voice only service and activated the service for the customer.Switched ports
for different telephone numbers which had migrated. The intern configured a telephone
line that requested ADSL service on the CAME cards which has 0-47 ports. The intern
checked for double MSAN allocation to a single number and deleted the unwanted MSAN
configuration. The student configured a new password for a customer in the HSS after an
old password failed registration process. Checked if a telephone number had rights to an
incoming and outgoing call in the ATS on the number specifications tab. The intern
disabled telephone service to a specific line by changing the restrictions status on incoming
and outgoing call to yes in the ATS. Traced an international call to see how it is routed
from the TelOne network through to its destination and located faults causing the call
drops. The student was able to hotline a specific telephone number which was to be used
by the company security personnel at TelOne Msasa.

21
Transmission (Core & Backbone)

The intern managed to interpret a fiber link fault alarm which was red for critical and
alerted the supervisor. The student used an OTDR to measure the distance to which the
fiber had a fault by firing an optical pulse at the optical distribution frame at Harare main.
The student did some daily check-up of optical power levels on all the optical fiber network
link across the nation and recorded them on word document.

The senior technician and the intern went for a physical check-up of any possible exposing
or theft of the backbone fiber cable from Harare Main Exchange up to the R1 Harare-
Masvingo tollgate via Rekai Tangwena drive. The student managed to participate in the
laying of a 48 core 400m fiber cable in Eastlea which was replacing a damaged one. Spliced
24cores on one end and the other 24 cores on the other end with minimum losses. The
trainee used an OTDR in the equipment room to measure the transmit and receive fiber
cables of Agribank which was experience connection issues.

Electronic Repair Centre

The attachee opened a faulty handset and tested for dial tone which came out to be
unavailable. The student resoldered the receiver panel and the dial tone came back on. The
student changed an RJ14 connector on a telephone handset and replaced it with a RJ11
connector on a B/Com type of handset. The trainee fixed the ringing circuit on a faulty
handset by soldering a 1.8 micro Farad (250V) on the handset’s PCB.The student tested
for faulty electronic components on a DXR 200 subscriber card by using a testmeter to
measure line resistors and replaced they faulty resistors by soldering on new resistors. The
intern used the DXR 200 Radio to test the exchange side electronic card which have a
capacity of 10 subscribers by connecting a telephone handset and dialling another
telephone number. The intern identified a defective Zener diode by measuring the reverse
biased voltage which gave out a reading that was not equal to its breakdown voltage.

Network Operations Centre

The student did some voice calls traffic analysis with the supervision of a NOC specialist
by looking to the statistics of voice call performance parameters for example number of
call drops, number of unanswered calls and number of answered calls.

22
 Data Operations

The student used the Putty software to configure the CISCO Catalyst 3560 switch which
was to be used on the access layer as an internet access point. The configuration included
allocating it with an IP address and a default gateway so as to enable remote management
of the switch. The attachee did router and switch configurations which included
configuration of hostnames and network interfaces. The trainee adjusted the port speed,
bandwidth on another CISCO switch. Configured GPON service by setting up the
bandwidth and logging into the ONU by its default IP address and configuring the default
VLAN on the port to provide the service.

2.2.2 Retail

The student used a 3M Dynatel machine to check for possible disconnection faults in
specific customer pairs at a cabinet in Ridgeview. The single trace function was used to
measure the distance to which the telephone signal was reaching thus determining the point
of disconnection. The intern installed a dedicated internet service to a church in Harare
Showground. A 2 core fiber drop cable was run from the nearby TelOne offices where
there is an optical network cabinet which is served by a remotely managed CISCO switch
and media converters. The trainee managed to successfully connect the media converters
both on the client side and the service provider side and blinking green LEDs indicated
network activity on the leased circuit. The intern configured a TP-Link wireless modem by
logging into the modem using its default IP address 192.168.1.1 on a web browser.
Configuration included updating the network wifi SSID and changing the wifi password.
The student used a fusion splicer to splice both ends of the fiber drop cable to the fiber SC
connectors to enable quicker and rigid connection of the drop cable to the media converters
with minimum insertion losses.

The intern managed to do a fixed telephone service installation on the 10th floor offices of
a Legal Company in Karigamombe Building with minimum supervision. The trainee used

23
a 4 pair CAT 5 cable to connect the customer to the distribution point at the same floor .A
krone tool was used to plug in the CAT 5 cable into the pair 26 of the connecting module
set which is used in terminating cables of secondary telephone networks to the cable pairs
of subscriber lines. At the customer side a connected the indoor cable into the splitter in
which the telephone handset was plugged into. The student checked for dial tone and the
phone service was active.

The trainee used a tone sender kit to trace a faulty location in the indoor connecting cables
of an office at the National Tourism of Zimbabwe building. The kit is made up of a tone
sender which sends an analog tone signal through the copper wires and a tone probe which
is able to detect the signal and converts to a tone sound when detected. The student traced
the faulty and found out that the indoor CAT 5 cable was torn apart and need some re-
joining the matching wires while avoiding short circuiting the copper pairs.

The student used an OTDR in the ODF at TelOne Julius Nyerere Exchange to measure the
distance to which the optical signal was being scattered able to reach from the exchange
hence locating a fault location. Removed the fiber SC connector labelled Enopat Mbuya
Nehanda and connected it to the OTDR where a trace is produced showing optical power
levels and the distance travelled by the optical signal before being reflected back. The fault
was approximately located at 600m from the exchange where there is a TelOne main hole
at Bata Takawira Branch. The student took part in migration of telephones lines in
Workington, a process whereby clients change physical location of their offices and would
like to keep the same telephone number and service. it involved running of another copper
drop cables to connect the subscriber to the nearest TelOne distribution box.

The attachee used test phone to check for dial tone at the cabinets and distribution during
fault tracking on copper telephone lines. Optic fiber splicing for instance Spliced 8 cores
of fiber at a TelOne manhole near Market Square taxi rank with an average loss of 0.02db
which is good for the fiber link to start working. The trainee did copper cable splicing using
a 3M Splicing Rig at the manhole at corner Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela where a
2000 pair copper cable had caused faults due to short circuiting causing by water
penetrating the splicing modules and needed redoing to clear the faults.

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2.2.3 Information Systems

The student managed to diagnose and repair the company’s faulty printers. The intern did
installations of operating systems in the organization’s IT hardware which includes desktop
computers, laptops and servers. The trainee managed to took part in setting up of some of
the company offices’ LAN network at the Runhare House. With the help of an IT
technician, the intern created a VLAN on a CISCO switch which was meant for the
procurement department of the company. The student terminated a straight through LAN
cable using the standard T568B which was used to connect a desktop computer to switch.
The attachee did installations of applications like eSpace into computers by first accessing
the company’s server using its IP address and user credentials with the rights of access.
The intern created local user accounts, Admin and support on a set of new HP desktop
computers.

The trainee added new computers to the TelOne domain server which is corp.telone.co.zw.
The intern used Linux commands to troubleshoot what was causing remote access failure
to the switches in the BSS at the data centre such as pwd command. The intern used the if
up command to turn on an interface configured on the switches and remote access was
restored.

Remote Accessing a Server: Steps used by the intern to access a server from a computer
are;

Press start, Type run and click Run app, Type ‘mstsc’ and click OK, Next to computer
name, Type in the IP address of the server, Press connect and remote connection will
initialize, Enter the authorised username and password. The process has been illustrated by
the below picture,

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 Figure 3:Run command

Figure 4:Ip address tab

VLANS creation and configuration

A VLAN is a network in which a group of devices on or more LANs that are configured to
communicate as if there are all attached to the same communication line when in fact, they
are located in different LANS. VLANs assist the movement of network traffic as it reduces
the number of collisions in the network and ease of administration is also an advantage. The
switch must be in VTP server mode

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 The steps taken by the intern are as follows; Add the VTP domain name, issue the VTP
domain command in order to verify the VTP configuration, Create VLANS on the switch,
Issue the ‘show vlan’ command in order to verify the VLAN configuration
The figure below illustrates the configuration,

2.3 Personal and professional development

2.3.1 Formal learning courses

The intern attended a one-day Digital Services Training at TelOne Headquarters where all
the employees of the company where given a great opportunity to learn about digital
technology evolution. The intern managed to learn how emergence and implementation of
newer digital technologies is bringing about efficiency in how different works for example
smart hospitals which means a patient can be attended to by a doctor who is in another
country through video call which does not have delays due to availability of high speed
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 internet connection which have low latency. The student learnt that the demand for
telecommunications services will continue to grow as more people are starting to afford a
device that connects to the intern. The intern understood the working from home section
whereby employees are connected to the corporate network through a VPN.

2.3.2 Key Skills Development

Communication skills - Since it is a company based on bringing communication services

to the people, the intern learnt how communication is vital in teamwork which is one of
the company’s core values. The student learnt the correct workplace etiquette to
communicate with colleagues and clients.

Time management - The intern learnt good time keeping behaviours that include being
punctual at work. The intern had to come very early to works in order to complete the
assigned tasks from the supervisors. The student also managed to learn to plan ahead.

Conflict Management - The intern had previously done a first-year course in peace and
conflict management theory and had to learn how to apply the skills in handling conflicts
at workplace. The student learnt how to manage or channel the conflicts through respective
management and can also be useful in normal life in the community.

Adhering to professional workplace dress code – The intern had to adjust slightly in terms
of dress code as he had to wear decent casual clothes at work at all times.

Interpersonal skills – During the attachment duration, the student interacted with TelOne
staff from different departments and towns and also clients with different characters but
did learn how to be social with almost everyone in the field and form strong relationships
with colleagues which helped a lot in team work.

2.3.3 Personal Development

The intern had a weakness of public speaking nervousness before the attachment1 and
managed to overcome the weakness by asking to give a vote of thanks at the end of the
Digital Services Training. The student used lack confidence social interaction with new
people before the internship year but managed to overcome the weakness by going to new
colleagues and ask questions about work related issues. The student improved a lot in

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 customer etiquette because the student had to talk to customers before fixing a faulty or
prior to new service installations and had to listen to customer complaints.

2.3.4 Challenges faced

The limited time in each department made it very difficult to grasp as many concepts
as possible. Lack of identification as TelOne attachee with fellow colleagues on the
work place or outside sometimes the student had to be questioned by security personnel
before being given access to the company facilities. Biometrics Entry Systems in the
place of work for the student at the information Systems department was a challenge
as students biometrics were not loaded into the database for convenient entry and exit.
The students wasted a lot of work time waiting for a permanent staff to come and open
the door. Lack of enough equipment and machines especially in the Retail, technical
side where a couple of technicians had to used 1 set of tone sender or Fusion Splicer
hence it caused low productivity in repairing and installations jobs. Allotment of trivial
work on some days but the intern managed to overcome by respecting every colleague
and obeying the instructions.

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3 CHAPTER 3: PROJECTS

The student had a great opportunity to participate in the implementation of the following projects,

Installation of CCTV cameras at TelOne Runhare House.

Replacing a damaged 400M part of HARARE-MUTARE backbone fiber.
Remounting and reinstallation of IS servers at the Data Center.

3.1 Installation of CCTV cameras at TelOne Runhare House.

The information Systems – infrastructure was the department facilitating the CCTV cameras
installations project in all the 12 floors of Runhare House which is TelOne’s headquarters. The
CCTV camera footages are monitored by the Risk and Audit department.

Equipment used comprises of CAT 5e LAN cables, high definition and focus cameras, IP switches
and a server to store and process the CCTV footage files. LAN cables were run from the IS server
room to the different designated positions on the which cameras where going to be mounted. Two
pairs from the LAN cables where used to connect a single camera, one pair for power signal and
the other one for the video signal.

Cameras were all mounted on the planned positions which gives clear views of what the camera
is meant to monitor. On the server side, LAN cables where terminated using T568B and they were
all connected on the specifically configured 64 port CISCO catalyst switches. The switch was
connected to the data server which stores and process the CCTV footage. All the ports on the
switch were configured for high speed and secured with security protocols.

3.2 Replacing a damaged 400M part of HARARE-MUTARE backbone fiber

The Transmission department under infrastructure Operations was the one responsible doing this
project where by one the backbone fiber links was known to be down using the alarms on Network
Management System. The transmission team traced the location of the fault using the OTDR and
the trace showed that there was a disconnection at about 1.2 km from Harare Main Exchange

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somewhere near the Eastlea shopping centre. The team found that the fault was caused by the fiber
cable being burnt by fire at the bridge damaging all the 12 cores.

The team that worked on this project included 4 senior telecoms technicians from the Transmission
department and a number of students. The project took 4 days as sometimes bad weather forced
the team to stop working. Due to unavailability of a 24-core cable, a 48-core cable which was
600m in length had to be used to replace the damaged cable. The team went to TelOne VHF depot
to collect the 48-core optic fiber cable and 2 joint boxes. 3 TelOne manholes were opened in order
to pull out the damaged cable while pulling in the new 48-core cable into the ducts underground.
The new cable was completely laid in the underground ducts. At one side students with the
supervision of a senior telecoms’ technician spliced the 24 cores from the 48-core to joint with the
old undamaged 24-core fiber cable. The same procedure was done on the other end, splicing of 20
cores with minimal losses. After splicing the cores were arranged with great care in the respective
plastic joint boxes to avoid water penetrating the fibers. After closing the joint box, the fiber link
was up and running with the confirmation of technicians at the office looking for alarms at the
NMS.

3.3 Remounting and reinstallation of IS servers at the Data Center.

Information Systems were moving their IT hardware which includes billing server, mail server
and switches from the server room on the 12th floor to the company’s Data Centre for easy
administration, more security and also better cooling system.

The team working on this project included a few senior IT technicians and a couple of students.
The work started with disconnecting the servers from the server room and physically carrying it
to the data centre where they were all placed on the rack with the company’s BSS infrastructure.
The Cat 5e LAN cables were used to connect the servers to the IT switches on the nearby racks.
The servers were all connected to power using their designed power cables.

The ports on the switches to which the serves were connected was then configured using putty
software that includes turning ON the ports, adjusting port speed and bandwidth and securing it
.The LED indicators on the ports connected to the servers started to blink green indicating there

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 was already data activity when the server was turned ON. The servers were also configured to
allow remote access using SSH by use of specific Linux commands.

4 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1 Recommendations

To TelOne Centre For Learning & NUST

The author recommends the institution to improve in releasing 3rd year academic results for
students who will be going for industrial attachment as the results are crucial in the search for
placement in the companies. There should also be a revisit to the courses that are taught before
going to attachment for example LTE technologies because the student had a struggle in
participating in LTE related network issues. The college academic supervisors should make more
industrial visits to students on attachment so as to monitor their progress and check if the intern is
getting the necessary job experience related to the telecommunication engineering field.

To TelOne (Pvt) Ltd

The author recommends the company to reduce the number of departments to which the students
should go through as there will be no enough time for students to gain much experiences in the
respective departments during the course of the internship year. The author also recommends
TelOne to invest more into the LTE Blaze network by expanding it nationwide as soon as possible
as the society is moving towards digitalisation hence more demand for data .Due to the emergence
of new smarter technologies in the instance of IoT services like smart cities, smart hospitals,
autonomous vehicles, smart farming and smart homes , demand for high speed data connection is
going to grow enormously in the coming years hence it would prove to be a wiser a business
strategy to increase the company’s revenue and a big step towards the achievement of digital
enabled society by 2023 in Zimbabwe.

4.2 Conclusion

The attachment at TelOne for the whole duration was mostly beneficial in gaining the industry
experience needed to fully understand all the telecommunication concepts and technologies being

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taught at the college. The lessons and skills gained during this year will definitely have an impact
in how the author’s career will partake in the ICT industry. The internship managed to map out the
foundation for the career in telecommunications for the student as exposure in the real industry
opened the broader varieties of ICT.

5 REFERENCES

www.telone.co.zw

www.pindula.co.zw

www.Diamondnetok.com

www.technomag.co.zw

www.fewderalcommunicationscommission.com

www.dynamixsolutions.com

www.sera.co.zw

www.cisco.com

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APPENDIX

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