Africom Mobile Broadband Services Prices

Staff Writer Avatar

It is common knowledge now that Zimbabweans are going to be getting better quality mobile Internet within the next 2 weeks. Whether it’s going to be affordable or not is of course another matter altogether and a discussion for when the official tariff schedules come out.

We’ve been trying to get information about the Africom mobile internet tariffs and here’s what we have so far:

There will basically be three packages for the consumers to choose from. One called MiChoice, another MiHome and the last one MiBudget. The three have varying setup fees depending on whether you require other additional services like VoIP.

Setup for MiHome for example will likely be about US $400 and MiBudget about US $200. MiChoice has the cheapest setup fees of about US $80. We’re told MiChoice is for subscribers just looking for mobile Internet and nothing else.

In terms of monthly charges, MiBudget will have a flat US $100, MiHome a flat US $80 and MiChoice US $15. That $15 will give you 1GB of data and any megabyte of data you use after bursting the 1 gigabyte will cost you a cent.

More on what the terms Megabyte and Gigabyte mean on this link.

The Africom launch of paid services was supposed to have been done last week but we hear unforeseen issues with their supply chain have caused the delay. The industry has speculated other reasons for the delay. Africom, Econet and Powertel are falling over each other right now releasing mobile internet products, expanding mobile internet coverage and bidding to win the hearts (and wallets) of subscribers. Powertel just opened up to more subscribers last week, after suspending new subscriptions for years.  Econet on the other hand is launching some data services on 20 October (2 days from now) but price indications so far are making us worry a bit.

We haven’t been mentioning Telecel much in all this and some readers have asked us why. The guys have just been so silent the past 2 months it’s like they never mentioned data services at all. We’ve just sent them an email to request an update. So click back for that in a day or so.

21 comments

  1. kodza

    i think 25/Gig will be fine,no point in having an internet connection that never works at all

  2. JamesM

    I am intrigued by the setup fees. A USB modem costs $80 and Africom’s version I am currently using costs that much. And for most home and individual users that’s all they would need. Where is the US400 coming from? Assuming that businesses would need routers to connect more users through a wireless modem, even then a router wouldn’t cost that much. If Africom sells them at that price that would be criminal extortion. I would advise anyone interested in a 3g wireless router to do a search on alibaba.com, dlink or cisco sites. Just make sure you get the right router for your network. Africom would be an evdo CDMA2000 1X router, and Econet/Telecel 3G GSM router.

    1. Leigh

      Hi James … wonder if you can help. I recently bought a 3G wireless router for my Africom modem. Try as I have, I am unable to configure it to use with my laptop. Any help or settings would be much appreciated.

  3. sir allen

    zvakavoma varume panotoda price control pamastart up costs avo aya chero pa michoice yacho kokungoti $10per gig kana 5 toyenda sei ko pa skype ne u tube?

  4. Kabweza

    think the $400 might be including a CDMA mobile phone, a VoIP handset etc…

  5. Gora

    Ask Africom what contention rates they will be using on these too cheap services? THAT will be an interesting topic. You will NEVER get decent internet speeds at these prices..or Africom will go broke in a matter of weeks.

  6. Clement Siby

    Whats the $400 for?

    I cannot simply understand how setup can cost that much. I am in IT and when i look at the cost of equipment to connect to the internet my value falls way short of that figure. Can Africom and for that matter Econet give us justification for these prices and the 1Gig capping makes no sense whatsoever.

  7. Clement Siby

    I don’t buy it Kabweza, you would remember prices such as $200 for an econet line, $250 for a CDMA handset. I think these companies take advantage of ignorance on the part of the public or tie their services to particular hardware so they can make more out of the customer. Its simply disgusting at times..

  8. Clement Siby

    Gora, Internet services the world over are way cheaper than here and yet the connection speeds are much higher and more reliable than here. The real test for companies is to do with pushing volumes by offering their services to more consumers in a convenient and affordable way rather than trying to survive on astronomical margins. Econet once sold their lines for $200 remember, now their sim cards hardly cost one hundred times less ($2)

    I find no justification for a fee of $400 in setup. If one were to purchase the setup equipment on their own, they will use less than half that amount. Africom must make their money on continuous reliable connectivity to as many people as possible rather than on the cost of connecting people, this is the surest way to burn yourself if you make the entrance point too high for the ordinary man on the street.

  9. HH

    I just phoned Africom, and well, it doesn’t look good…. It’s even worse than econet. Their 1 Gig limit is not going to last long. They don’t have a Off peak / business model. So basically whether you surf during the day or at midnight it still counts towards your limit. Also whether you are browsing international sites or local content, it’s also counted towards the 1 Gig. What kind of service is this.

    And to make matters worse, on the backend their data is going out via VSAT.

    So where as other ISP’s are moving towards the Powertel Fiber, Africom is going backwards, or so it looks….

    Only time will tell……………

  10. Donald Mandy

    Interesting debate on this site.Well done guys.

    I am in UK. I pay £7.99 per month fixed cost for my broadband (dont know about gigs).No other monthly fees.I got a free router and all three laptops in the house use the same internet,which remain connected virtually 24 hours a day.Using Skype and Voipraider is free.I have an option to upgrade to £15 for music and movie downloads.I have been scouting for broadband so that I can skype with family out there,but alas,looks like these guys want to charge for a product (Skype) that is not theirs? KK is my mate however,wish them well.

  11. Clement Siby

    I am a software developer, i work off of the internet all day, 1Gig cap is simply ridiculous, capping does not guarantee better connectivity Kodza, its just one way to maximise profits.

    It is virtually impossible to do my job without downloads and 1Gig will mean me paying $25 every 2 days or so. What is the justification for the cap?

    It all goes down to the scarcity mentality and profiteering. Image travelling and i get uncapped internet access, blazingly fast connectivity at airports for free.

    Making things more expensive does guarantee they automatically become better, We still have the most expensive internet in the world but our connectivity is overally very poor.

  12. Clement Siby

    I envy you Donald, i pay $275 per month for a 256K connection, its far from being true broadband, i suspect this connection shared amongst many consumers, i have been informed by as many as 8 other clients. I long for true broadband where i can work, upload and download to heart’s content for a fair price. Hopefully that day will come soon.

  13. Simbarashe Pesanai

    I think at the moment Powertel are offering the best deal $50/month with unlimited downloads. Econet was fine while it was at $25/month with unlimited downloads considering its pathetic service. Now their new regime is just ridiculous and shamelessly capitalist. Once i exhaust this 100MB i have been given because my subscription hasnt expired am contemplating switching to another ISP. I want to here from Powertel/Aficom users how the perfomance has been?

  14. HH

    This is my vision for the next couple of weeks…….

    More and more people dessert Econet, and join Africom and Powertel…..

    Africom and Powertel networks are now reaching saturation due to the overwhelming responce of new customers and the ex-econet ones.

    Powertel start rushing to get their backbone upgraded ASAP to STM 4 or STM 16 or whatever it is. At the same time Africom who are going out via VSAT… start looking to buy some cheaper Powertel Bandwith, or start digging faster towards mutare so that they can get onto the East Coast Fiber…..

    ZOL,Yo, Mweb etc… who now see themselves getting fewer new customers, and loosing a couple of old ones decide that they need to reduce prices. They make a deal to help fund the powertel upgrade, to get cheaper bandwith. Once realised they lower their pricing…..

    Econet who are now kicking themselves for trying to milk the whole cow in a day… i.e Charging exhorbitant prices for a pathetic service realise the error of their ways… They get their Fiber cable connected at Beitbridge, and negotiate a good deal with the Internet Providers in SA. They purchase a kool 10 MB CIR of data, and dump it into their 3G network……

    They start re-advertising Broadband saying that they made a mistake in the printing of their pricing structure. The prices printed were $98 for 1 Gig, was actually supposed to be $9.80

    Great Vision :)…..

  15. Kabweza

    lol. great vision indeed!

  16. Kelvin

    Basically everything in Zim is just expensive, so every company has to take a chance to maximise on stealing from the consumer pocket now , coz they dont know what next year holds for us.

  17. Kelvin

    No No No No to price control , we need what is called indirect intervention.If the our GVT was united they were going to use Netone to set the standards so that other companies like Econet would follow.But the most unfortunate thing is that we have a Gvt that is so dem week virtually on each and every policy.

  18. JMW

    Heard today in the payment queue that remained static for ages with continued people coming to enquire while we waited..”It is a shame that net one isn’t up and running I would get Net One.”…I heartily agreed and others too.. big discussion re the expense (plenty of queue time in the payment queue!!) and comparing with other countries including Botswana.. great to read in the comments here of other options!!!

  19. Nizo

    We all need Jesus, the sad fact is that in such a short time the country has been flooded and indoctrinated with material wealth beyond our good and we have now been blinded by the greed that has replaced the once true and sincere hearts of a simple nation – Jesus, we have gone back to Egytpt, change our hearts and full them with your heart and remove our desire to have pockets that are full and hearts of stone….. Greed Vs the Cross of Jesus, ( All for the glory of God, – the end is near, may we turn back to him, and experience the freedom ) And Econet, do not proclaim or brand yourself with Biblical quotes or a banner of Godliness, for your own material game, you are deceived….

  20. kupa

    hh i like your thinking.great vision indeed,you have made my day lol

2023 © Techzim All rights reserved. Hosted By Cloud Unboxed