NetOne launches promo offering free data for recharge data card topups

Nigel Gambanga Avatar

The festive season is upon us and as is typical of the season of giving various service providers are offering giveaways and launching promotions. NetOne, the country’s second-largest mobile operator has also jumped in on festive cheers with its new Hot Bundles Promotion.

This is a mobile broadband promotion set to run from the 3rd of December until the beginning of March 2016. It is offering free data to NetOne mobile broadband subscribers that top up their data using the physical recharge data cards.

The cheapest recharge card costs $3 with a standard offer of 70 MB, and this new promo is offering 30 MB on top of that. The biggest offer of free data for the promotion is 1.5GB which is awarded to anyone who tops up with the $50/2GB card.

Recharge Card Price ($)BundlesFree Data
370 MB30 MB
5125 MB125 MB
10285 MB265 MB
20670 MB130 MB
301 GB500 MB
502 GB1.5 GB

NetOne is making some attempt at offering additional value for broadband subscribers, there is merit in that. However, this comes off as a feeble offering in a very competitive environment.

The motives behind this promo probably include increasing the sales of NetOne broadband packages, pushing physical recharge data cards (I’m not sold on the idea and investment behind those) or just being a bit generous over the festive season and the slow January disease period after that, it doesn’t seem like NetOne is gearing up for a very aggressive broadband space.

It’s most visible competitor in mobile broadband is Econet Wireless, which has often worn the badge of being the overpriced network provider, but is now offering a competitive day bundle promotion that will get a subscriber 250 MB of data a day for $1.  Under NetOne’s new promo, that much data will cost a subscriber $5.

it’s not just Econet that’s out to offer competition. WiFi hotspots are also providing internet at competitive prices. As an example, TelOne’s WiFi offers 350 MB for a $1, Telco is offering 110 MB for $1, Africom has a 6GB for $6 offer and ZOL WiFi even has a free 30-minute window followed by a paid for WiFi access that costs $15 for 5 GB.

Most of these pricing schedules were structured over the past 10 months, with each of these operators considering how competition in broadband is no longer specific to immediate rivals. NetOne’s competition isn’t just Econet and Telecel.

WiFi has been just as disruptive to broadband pricing as we’d all love to see NetOne promos that are powered by a huge LTE presence also changing local internet costs.

Heaven knows, in the absence of regulatory intervention, we need these operators to come up with products, promotions and prices that cause a positive disruption. This Hot Bundles promotion doesn’t look set to do that.

13 comments

  1. Anonymous

    Orange Free na kartę offers a 36GB bonus data bundle valid for 5 months for a recharge of 100zł (approx $25). The internet is almost free in other parts of the world. For 40zł ($10)/month, you can have unlimited 100Mbps broadband connection with no FUP clause. I know some will be quick to say you can’t compare but eish.

  2. Net Neutrality

    These clowns should give us a break.. Ill stick to the $1 a day 250mbs is enough to check my emails everyday… Netone are really drunk….

  3. noster

    what about the window periods?

  4. Chams

    will stick to the Econet 250MB daily bundle.

  5. Hama

    Internet is expensive in african markets because of lack of infrastructure. Even the US and UK had to deal with this until more players came in and better infrastructure was built.

  6. gweja

    I will stick to the econet $ for 250, best deal in the market

  7. Munhu

    Things are very expensive in Africa for real. In the UK i pay £20/month (about $30) and get unlimited data,unlimited calls to other networks,free calls to my network, unlimited texts all in one package.

  8. SirAlex

    Daylight robbery promo ma foot ….r Zimbabwean business ignorant or just run by fools..coz seriously speaking who introduces such a shabby strategy-promo when u have competitors like Tel One providing 25GB at $42, and ZOL offering $160 unlimited b/band….these guys shd just do awy wt ds data thng if ey expect to stay afloat….cz dz z outright tomfoolery!

  9. Wardsön

    i will stick to net1 for fast and a realible service

  10. ziso

    Netone is super fast.Try it and you will know what i mean.Getting 25mb and internet super slow.

  11. frank

    netone is superfast….

  12. w.p chinhoyi

    econet is inspired to empty your pocket, its slow and poor connectivity esp in Chinhoyi. Netone is fast and reliable and promos are straight forward.

  13. prince

    good

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