The cost of internet in Zimbabwe – an overview of broadband packages

Nigel Gambanga Avatar

2015 is almost over, but one thing hasn’t changed. The internet is still a luxury for a lot of people in Zimbabwe. One of the main reasons is the high cost associated with going online.

To be fair, the internet providers have made a number of significant changes to their product suites, with the options to access the internet for limited incomes increasing on year by year basis.

However, we are still not at a point where data service costs become an afterthought. Local internet prices are still steep, particularly for the majority of Zimbabweans who use mobile devices to go online. The absence of regulatory intervention hasn’t helped either. All the changes we’ve noticed so far are a reuslt of macro-economic forces in a tough economy.

In 2015 we saw a shakeup in fibre internet services, unbelievable mobile broadband promos that came and went, changes in VSAT courtesy of regulatory intervention, some brushups on certain WIMAX services, increased competition in the WiFi hotpsot arena and some adjustments to ADSL.

Outside ZOL’s free wifi hotspots (that give you a 30 minute window everyday) you need at least 50 cents to access the internet in Zimbabwe, and thanks to some of the promotions being run by mobile network operators like Econet, and some wifi providers like Africom, that will get you 50 MB of data. For mobile broadband users without access to hotspots and looking beyond these promos, 50 cents is only good for at most 8 MB of data.

$1 now means more internet access largely because of the WiFi hotspot rollout from at least 4 internet providers, with TelOne’s 350 MB being the most you’ll get out of this nominal amount.

Home internet options now include an increasingly visible fibre presence, though it’s still largely in Harare. The cheapest fibre package is $36. ADSL is now accessible for at least $15 and a $10 WiMAX package from Africom will get you 1.2GB of data.

Without any sign of regulatory induced change, Zimbabweans can only hope that an increasingly competitive environmment will help in the downward review of these prices.

Mobile Network Operator Broadband Prices

Data Price (US$)
*All prices are for bundle rates
Econet Wireless BroadbandNetOne BroadbandTelecel Broadband
0.505MB8MB4.8MB
110MB17MB9.5MB
370MB76MB
580MB125MB142.5MB
10200MB285MB304MB
20500MB670MB800MB
301GB
351GB
452GB
502.5GB2GB
754GB

 

AFRICOM

Africom MiChoice Regular Bundles

PRICE ($US)SIZE (All bundles valid for 30 days)
1100 MB
2200 MB
5600 MB
101.2 GB
253 GB

Africom MiChoice and Flexi-Bundle Packages

Package/ BundlePriceValidity (Days)
MiChoice – (Offers Unlimited Social Media Access, Browsing)
MiChoice Bronze$5 7
MiChoice Silver$1014
MiChoice Gold$2530
Flexi – Bundles (Pay As You Go Data Package)
11MB$130
50MB$530
200MB$1530
500MB$2030
1GB$4030
2GB$6030
3GB$7530
5GB$12530
10GB$25030

 

APTICS

Package(all packages are unlimited)Cost($US)Speed
Aptics Bargain50256Kbps
Aptics Basic75512Kbps
Aptics Standard1201Mbps
Aptics Deluxe1802Mbps

 

iWAY AFRICA

PackageCost ($US)SpeedData Allowance
Mobile Internet423.1Mbps download speedunlimited
WiMaxfrom 99from 1Mbpsfrom 40GB p/m
Fibrefrom 99from 1Mbpsfrom 40GB p/m

 

Powertel 

PACKAGEPRICE ($US)DATA (GB)VALIDITY (DAYS)VALUE ADDED SERVICES
Express35157Unlimited downloads; Unlimited Surfing (Fair Usage Policy Applies)
Monthly Express603030Unlimited Uploads & Downloads,Surfing ; Unlimited * Subscription is only for modem package
Monthly Turbo895030Unlimited Uploads & Downloads, surfing; *Subscription only for WiFi Router Package
Powertel Unlimited175Unlimited (Ts & Cs Apply)30Monthly unlimited Deal
Unlimited Downloads & uploads for the whole month;
Uncapped, unlimited

 

TELONE 

TelOne ADSL

PACKAGEPRICE ($US)SPEED & CAP
Home Basic151Mbps (2GB allowance)
Home Plus251Mbps (10GB allowance)
Home Premier421Mbps (25GB Allowance)
Infinity Pro891Mbps (Unlimited)
Infinity Master1252Mbps (Unlimited )
Infinity Supreme1504Mbps (Unlimited)

TelOne Fibre

Package Price ($USD)Download Speed
Starter365Mbps (usage capped at 20GB)
Boost7010Mbps (usage capped at 50GB)
Intense11820Mbps (unlimited)

 

TELCO 

PackagePrice($US)Speeds of up to (Mbps)Data Cap (GB)
11G35511
18G42518
25G50525
38G63538
UNLIMITED PACKAGES
Fire12810
Ultra18515
Velocity Stream199
Xtreme20820

 

uMAX

musheMAXmonthlyMAXskyMAX
$45/ month$75/month$150/month
15GB allowance40 GB allowance150 GB allowance
2 Mbps download speed3 Mbps speedup to 5 Mbps
15GB access off-peak (12am -6am)40 GB accessible off-peak (between 10pm and 6am)Unlimited access off peak (between 10pm and 6am)

 

Yo Africa

PackageCost($US)Speed
Mild70512Kbps
Medium110up to 1Mbps
Hot160up to 1.5Mbps

 

ZOL 

ZOL Fibroniks
Fibroniks Lite$34up to 5Mbps
(capped at 25GB p/m)
Fibroniks Basic Essentials$44up to 5Mbps
(capped at 35GB)
Fibroniks Family Essentials$94up to 5Mbps
(capped at 75GB p/m)
Fibroniks Family Entertainment154up to 20Mbps (unlimited)
Fibroniks modern family204up to 30Mbps (unlimited)
Fibroniks turbo pack334up to 100Mbps
(unlimited)

 

15 comments

  1. huhh???

    is powertel on some dumb idiot potion if my data cap is 15gb then why do i have a fair usage policy sounds like this is the reason why its so capped it becomes redundant is silly.

  2. Silas

    I was hoping to see the Vsat pricing as you touched them in your introdutions

  3. Gary

    Telone adsl should actually be cheaper with much more data allocated than currently. I should think they pay next to nothing for Internet and make a killing from us suckers!!!

  4. mdulababy

    Powertel Express’s 15GB for $35 is actually valid for 30 days. l have been using it for 2 months now without any problems. The speed is fair and so is the connectivity, it streams YouTube videos smoothly.

    1. Ko

      Tried it. Bt powertel shaped my connection such that i could notdownload at more than 30kbs and seeding a torrent took 15 days. And i was only 800m away from a low traffic tower. Powertel should open the pipes now that the service is capped.

  5. Tendekayi.TR

    Here in Cyprus, I pay USD86.00 for SIX MONTHS of unlimited internet (Wi fi at home) at 1Mbps download speed. For 2Mbps the cost is about 112.00.

    1. Ko

      You forget that there exists such things as subsidies in the eu and usage behaviours streaming dependecy on cloud solutions etc.
      The price in zim fair for what we get and how we use though the speeds could be more fair.

    2. Tinashe Chidyausiku

      You can’t compare Cyprus with Zimbabwe. The two countries have completely different dynamics affecting the cost of delivering data.

      1. Tendekayi.TR

        I understand all of that. I am simply saying that we still have a long way to go in Zimbabwe. By the way Turkey is not in the EU. I’m in Turkish Cyprus.

        1. confused

          ko nhai wangu kuTurkish Cyprus hakuna matech sites here? ita zveikoko wangu?

  6. Allaz

    KO ZARNET IRIPI??? Their website says they have wimax packages – from $49.99 to $74,99

  7. SHANKO mANANKO

    App me for free adsl internet access, browse stream download for free no monthly costly, contact me Shanko Mananko 0736429099

  8. MyGigabyte

    Thank you guys for this. Can we get comparison with regional pricing or at the very least South Africa…

  9. techzimfan

    Techzim do some research on VSAT pricing on the market. Last time you only mentioned that Potraz reduced the landing fees. Please guys don’t sleep on the job.

    Otherwise you are doing a great job.

  10. moyodombo

    Potraz should create bands for ISP`s costing/charging. Speeds no more than 1Mbps should be no more than $10/month, speeds from 1 Mbps up to 10 Mbps should be no more than $20/month any thing above 20Mbps $30 upto a max of $100.ISP`s can introduce caps if they want. @ the moment the charging system is flowed and no regulation. Free for all to rip customers.wake up potraz

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