Tag Posts: 3G

Since Econet launched 3G on it’s network last year in August, the services has had more than a few problems. First it was that 3G itself was only limited to the greater Harare.

Since we posted that Ecoweb started selling 4G mobile WiMax last week, we’ve been trying to get some solid information on the network coverage of the new technology. We requested a coverage map but the response we got what was something to the effect of “tell us a location and we’ll tell you if it’s covered or not”. A polite way of saying “No”.

We just got information that Ecoweb, the ISP arm of Zimbabwe telecoms giant, Econet, will start selling their 4G mobile WiMax next week. According to our source, Ecoweb is just waiting for an approval of the proposed pricing by the telecoms regulatory authority POTRAZ.

We got a glimpse of the pricing and hey, dear reader, if you want a piece of the latest (and ideally fastest) mobile internet in town, please prepare to reach deep into your pockets. The mobile WiMax dongle like the one pictured here will cost US $170. The dongle attaches to the USB port to enable your PC to connect to the WiMax network. Like Econet’s 3G, internet access is a flat monthly charge. But don’t let that ‘flat’ word fool you; it’s US $100 per month!

On 28 August 2009, Econet launched 3G services on its network. Then, we criticized Econet for not providing enough information to subscribers about the new service. A little over a month later, Econet quietly suspended the activation of more subscribers to 3G services.

No public announcement of the service suspension was made. You’d just visit an Econet service center and get told that the services were temporarily suspended. And that if you came back after a few weeks, you’d get all the 3G you wanted. In the press, all we read was that the service had received an overwhelming response. Looking back, Econet obviously meant the ‘overwhelming’ part literally.

Ever since Ecoweb announced the coming launch of mobile WiMax last year in October, we’ve been waiting eagerly here at Techzim for further announcements and possibly, a launch date.

This didn’t come until last week when Ecoweb finally said something through their Econet investor relations page. Ecoweb, a wholly owned subsidiary of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe revealed that it is in the final testing phase of mobile WiMax project and will be opening it up to subscribers in next month.

Speaking about the deployment, Ecoweb General Manager, Tororiro Isaac Chaza said:

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is among the few companies in Zimbabwe to embrace online social media. The company’s 3G Facebook page has about a thousand fans and it gets updated several times a week.

For subscribers, this provides an always available face of the company on the Internet. You can have conversation with an Econet techie right there, and he (or she hey) speaks informally and is frank on the issues that matter to subscribers. The kind of way you’d converse with a real person in real life. This as opposed to the call center agents that always make me feel handled. And for Econet, this is a great way to get honest feedback from customers.

With virtually all telecoms companies and Internet providers providing and promising to provide various data services, we thought it’d be reasonable to break down the data services jargon to terms that ordinary people (like the folks here at Techzim) can understand. We are moving into a new era of mobile data services in Zimbabwe and as the mobile operators make a rush for your dollar, some enlightenment will help us all make informed decision before we part with anything.

If you’re a typical geek, this will probably just bore you, you’re better off clicking to the next article. So now that all the geeks are gone, let’s get started:

Word has it that Africom is in the advanced stages of implementing a CDMA 2000 mobile network. The new mobile network will ride on its already established metro fibre networks in Harare and Bulawayo.

According to our source, Africom is taking advantage of the anything-goes class A operator license they hold to spread into the mobile telephony business, a territory dominated by the ever expanding Econet. Though basically an Internet access provision license, the class A license doesn’t have anything in black and white stopping a licensee from building a mobile voice network. POTRAZ, the telecoms regulatory authority has since suspended the issue of these licenses.

Telecel, the second largest mobile network operator (by number of subscribers), has promised to roll out Internet data services on its network in time for the World Cup showcase. “We want to do it in a phased way so that the actual launch is hassle-free from a technical point”, revealed the Acting Managing Director Patras Mazibuko to the Business Connect, a weekly Zim business publication.

According to Mazibuko, Telecel will focus on GPRS and EDGE for now. Rumours about Telecel’s data services started the rounds last year in September and subscribers have kept their fingers crossed since then. No information has been provided yet on how they plan to bill subscribers for the services.

conet CEO Douglas Mboweni, said today Econet will commission its fibre-optic cable system in the major cities by March this year. ‘Major cities’ here probably refers to Harare and maybe Bulawayo. He made the revelation in an update of the network upgrade work that has been going on since the start of 2009. He confirmed that the upgrade work is nearing completion and a bundle of services should start rolling out in the next few weeks.

Explaining why it took more than a year to complete the work he said:

The process of raising money, ordering equipment, and bringing in contractors to build and install equipment takes time. In our case, we were not only expanding capacity but also replacing obsolete equipment that had not been replaced in 10 years. It was like starting from scratch.

We just established that Econet suspended activating more subscribers on their mobile internet services since the beginning of October 2009. Apparently, this was because of an unexpected massive uptake of the 3G, Edge and GPRS services by subscribers which caused … Continue reading →

A week ago we bemoaned the fact that with both NetOne and Telecel not on 3G, Econet subscribers wouldn’t enjoy video calling to friends on these networks. Well, not anymore. We’re told Telecel will be launching its own 3G service … Continue reading →

Finally had a chance to talk to an Econet customer service person and here’s some clear information about the 3G service. Is 3G available in all areas with Econet coverage in Zimbabwe? No. As of 28 August 2009, 3G became … Continue reading →

A fortnight ago Econet launched the much hyped 3G on its network, marking quite a significant milestone in Zimbabwe’s communications advancement. Strangely enough, however, and much to the nation’s disappointment, the launch did not live up to the company’s renowned reputation. Bluntly put, it … Continue reading →