Technology is proliferating in diverse fraternities such as manufacturing, retail, banking, agriculture, health, and insurance sectors. Since the invention of the Internet, the deployment of other technologies has been made possible in insurance through the Internet of Things [1] . [2] identified the various innovative technologies which have been since deployed in insurance and narrates that, “Cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced analytics, telematics, the global positioning system (GPS), mobile phones, digital platforms, drones, blockchain, smart contracts, and artificial intelligence (AI) are providing new ways to measure, control, and price risk, engage with customers, reduce cost, improve efficiency, and expand insurability.”

The IoT today has brought a new era of everything connected such as connected homes, connected health, connected lifestyles, connected working and connected cars which have brought pressure to the transformation of insurance business models to be connected, hence connected insurance. Connected insurance has been brought about through innovations like Telematics [3] . Telematics plays a critical role in insurance Customer Relationship Management (CRM) since it facilitates the connection of business to its subjects and allows the accumulation of data pertaining to the distance, speed, driver behaviour and modelling of risk such that insurers can price accordingly. For some reasons, this also helps in customer retention and acquisition of new customers [4] .

The vehicle population in Zimbabwe was reported to have soared to above 1.5 million in 2022, rendering the Transport and Insurance domains complex [5] . The increase of vehicle population on Zimbabwean roads has been on the rise since then through cheap Japanese and European imports since the dollarization of the economy till the recent crisis of foreign currency shortages. This is supported by Balasubramaniam [6] , who postulates that, “An increase in vehicular usage has been found to be accompanied by a considerable increase in the total number of road accidents”. Therefore, there is a need to look at ways that can augment conventional Vehicular Management Information Systems (VMIS) such as Telematics which can enhance existing insurance risk management processes. That is through the reduction of accidents and incorporate Pay As You Drive (PAYD) which is closely aligned to driver behaviour billing. So many issues attached to the driver can lead to road carnage such as obscured driving, environmental catastrophic dynamics, dangerously switching lanes, congested roads and bribery to law enforcement agencies like police and Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) [6] . Telematics comes in as an ideal technology through online vehicle tracking to curb such road delinquencies.

Telematics is a technology that is traced to be of French origin. The idea of telematics surfaced around the early seventies when it cropped up because of the marriage between Telecommunications (télécommunications) and Information Systems (informatiqué). The constructs of Telematics are shown in “ Figure 1 ”.

Therefore, Telematics can be defined as a composition of telecommunications, IT systems or software applications, business information and automated control systems directed towards addressing business needs [7] - [9] . From Poland, in the nineties, Telematics started penetrating Europe being adopted by many sectors throughout the entire European Union. Ideally, the transport sector has been no exception to the implementation of telecommunications and IT systems and specifically Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) [9] .

ITS is a concept that refers to electronic systems and business applications that support advanced data communications, navigation and information processing designed to enhance the performance of existing traditional transport systems by fostering efficiency, safety, and comfort and reducing other negative aspects of the transport environment [10] . [11] focused that, by 2020 almost over 90% of all new cars on the market will be linked to the cloud whereby Intel is assisting organisations involved in the development of telematics systems to take advantage of Intel’s computing power and its scalable cloud service in improving safety, security, productivity, and profitability.

The opportunities that Telematics can offer in terms of potential direct returns in business through ITS should not be ignored or underestimated in Insurance. In New Zealand, three ITS technologies which include drones, self-driving vehicles and smart freight and logistics have been forecasted to bring an estimate of almost $2 billion dollars annually between 2018 and 2050 [12] [13] . To that effect, it can be concluded that potential business brought about through telematics should not be ignored. Therefore, this drives the need for insurance companies in Zimbabwe to think seriously about the adoption of telematics solutions to transport business [13] .

The objective of this study is to comprehensively investigate how Telematics and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can be effectively integrated into the Zimbabwean insurance sector. Specifically, the study aims to explore how these technologies can enhance existing risk management processes, optimize customer relationship management strategies, and facilitate the development of connected insurance models. By examining the implementation and impact of Telematics and IoT in insurance, the study seeks to provide insights into their potential to transform operational efficiency, reduce risks associated with vehicle usage, and improve overall service delivery in the insurance industry.

The rapid advancement of technology across various sectors, including manufacturing, retail, banking, agriculture, health, and notably insurance, underscores the urgent need for Zimbabwean insurers to embrace Telematics and IoT solutions. The escalating vehicle population, driven by affordable imports since the economic dollarization, has compounded challenges within the Transport and Insurance domains. This growth has corresponded with increased road accidents, as documented by Balasubramaniam, highlighting deficiencies in conventional Vehicular Management Information Systems (VMIS) to effectively manage risks associated with driver behaviour and road conditions. Factors such as obscured driving, environmental dynamics, reckless lane changes, traffic congestion, and potential corruption within law enforcement agencies further exacerbate these challenges. Telematics, through real-time vehicle tracking and data analytics capabilities, presents a promising solution to mitigate these risks and enhance safety on Zimbabwean roads. However, the adoption and integration of Telematics into existing insurance frameworks remain fragmented, with technology providers like Econet Wireless offering standalone vehicle tracking solutions that are not fully integrated with insurance service providers. This disconnect underscores the need for a cohesive approach that leverages Telematics to align customer billing with individual risk profiles, thereby promoting safer driving habits and reducing the frequency of insurance claims.

This study holds significant importance as it addresses critical challenges within Zimbabwe’s insurance sector, particularly concerning the management of an increasingly complex vehicle population. By exploring the potential of Telematics and IoT technologies, the study aims to provide practical insights and recommendations for insurers to enhance their risk management capabilities. The integration of Telematics into insurance practices not only promises to improve the accuracy of risk assessment and pricing but also enhances customer engagement through personalized services and incentives for safe driving behaviour. Moreover, by adopting connected insurance models facilitated by IoT, insurers can streamline operations, reduce costs, and expand insurability to previously underserved markets. The study also examines global trends and successful implementations of Telematics and ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) technologies, highlighting their transformative potential within the insurance industry. By doing so, it seeks to stimulate discussions and actions among stakeholders, including insurers, technology providers, regulatory bodies, and consumers, towards embracing innovative solutions that enhance road safety and insurance efficiency in Zimbabwe.

The study adopted a scientific approach as it proceeded through assuming a logical methodology in arriving at the findings. Science as an approach to the investigation focussed on studying the relationship between technology and insurance business and obtained new meaning through observing the relationships that exist and discover new possibilities as valid conclusions about the domain investigated rather than merely relying on opinions of the researcher [29] .

The study on telematics in Zimbabwean Auto Insurance was administered as a research that hinged upon both desk literature research and exploratory field study. Primary data was obtained from a survey executed on motor insurance service providers, motor insurance subscribers and local technology companies. The researcher conducted interviews with various executives extracted from all sections of the industry. Questionnaires were dispatched to collect data from motorists and insurance subscribers alike. A case-study approach was applied to derive at themes whilst applying with-in and cross-case analysis and arrived at conclusions.

The Research was inclined upon the Action Research Paradigm [30] . Therefore, the researcher fused the research plan, collection of data, interpretation, action strategy and writing of a solution pro-actively. The research collaborated diverse participants whose relationships were lucid to the domain under study as they made relevant contributions to the evolvement of the enterprise architecture model to telematics in motor insurance. The samples were therefore, selected purposively as the population was stratified, thereby reflecting the general opinions of the insurance industry stakeholders as a whole [31] [32] . The population therefore constituted 10 insurance managers from Zimbabwean insurance companies, 10 telecommunications technology managers, 50 motor insurance subscribers, 10 employees from insurance and pensions regulatory body, Ministry of Transport, Traffic safety Council of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) and 10 law enforcement agents from Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).

A triangulation was adopted in the search for facts through structured interviews, questionnaires and literature scanning. The multi-tiered fact gathering facilitated an understanding of the telematics situation in Zimbabwe [33] . Two focus groups from Technology houses and insurance houses were administered during the stakeholder consultation discussions to find facts. The analysis and design of the domain were enhanced through information Systems Analysis and Design (SAD) techniques such as Entity Relationships (ER) and Data Flow Diagrams (DFD). These enabled me to understand the domain as a system and identify the workflow processes in coming up with a design artefact for Telematics in motor insurance. ER and DFDs enabled participatory action research for the social transformation of the motor insurance business [34] .

The domain studied was by nature a complex case study for Zimbabwe which entailed providing a holistic analysis of the ecosystem. Therefore, a case study approach was adopted and analysed qualitatively. The qualitative investigation hence forth, paid attention to a holistic treatment of the telematics insurance ecosystem [35] . Eventually, all the possible relationships and workflows of the architecture and its complexities were explored and designed. Moreover, the theoretical framework on which the study was pivoted on was selected to be informed by The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) [36] , and the Zachman Framework [37] . Both frameworks guided the development of an enterprise architecture for telematics auto-insurance in Zimbabwe. Artefacts were built underpinned on the various themes suggested by the two mentioned frameworks.

A Vehicle Management Information Systems Ontology was adopted as a perspective to the research philosophy. The existence (Ontos) of artefacts and themes of the study (logos) in the vehicle tracking and motor insurance domain in Zimbabwe were investigated. Therefore, the status quo of the telematics insurance ecosystem in Zimbabwe was explored. The situation was tested against identified themes that exist in telematics insurance systems in other countries outside Zimbabwe. Moreover, gaps were discovered through the formulation of the “What” questions and deriving the realities to the Zimbabwean situation or problem.

The research was to end with a write up of the model to represent the proposed architecture of the solution [34] . The research was continuously shaped through Interpretivism and Constructivism philosophies since the research was action-based research which demanded understanding of the phenomena through interpretation and then the construction of a solution to the problem at hand. Eventually, a Telematics architecture solution was developed as a proposal to the Zimbabwean motor insurance industry. After the development of the model architecture, the researcher exposed the model to expert review. The model was interrogated and recommendations for improvement were proffered and incorporated in coming up with a fine-tuned proposal model for industrialisation in Zimbabwe.

The findings of the investigation are presented in the subsections that follow.

The main objective of UBI is targeted at aligning customer billing to individual risk magnitude which is a principle lacking in the Zimbabwean motor insurance ecosystem. Some Technology companies like Econet Wireless in Zimbabwe have started offering vehicle tracking solutions but still exist as stand-alone entities detached from insurance service providers a relationship which should be in synergy work together for the purposes of enriching insurance billing metrics. UBI is very essential to drivers and insurance companies. Driver behaviour has the potential to positively change and lead to low premiums to be paid by good drivers. Furthermore, the rate of claims against insurance companies will also be proportionately reduced.

The researcher would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development of Zimbabwe for facilitating the execution of obtaining data from various organisations that fall under the ministry which informed the findings of the research.