In April this year, Econet shocked us when they introduced a US $6,000 contract phone deal. We kid not. They did! The deal was: for 24 months, one would pay $250 a month to get voice, SMS and data for that value plus a ‘free’ Samsung Galaxy I9000. It was hard to believe anyone would take this up, but sources at the company told us their special target market – business execs – were signing up happily. Same sources told us the company was reviewing its contract deals however to make them more friendly or the more ordinary guy. Today, we got information that shows the phone deals have indeed been rearranged.
A contract deals brochure we received in our email today has the new phone deals. Basically, the ‘free phone for $250 worth of business a month’ model is gone. In its place is a more accessible monthly price tag. More accessible for the employed Zimbabwean that is. In terms of total value of the deal, the executive guy that makes $250 worth of calls & data usage a month is better off with the crazy April deal actually.
Here’s a table of some of the new deals:
| Mobile Phone |
You pay for handset monthly |
You pay for network usage monthly |
You also get bonus voice |
And bonus data |
| iPhone 4S 32G |
$60.00 |
$40.00 |
$10.35 |
$4.88 |
| Galaxy S3 |
$40.00 |
$40.00 |
$6.90 |
$3.00 |
| Nokia C6 |
$18.00 |
$32.00 |
$3.45 |
$1.88 |
| Nokia C6 |
$17.00 |
$13.00 |
2.3 |
1.875 |
| Nokia C3 |
$8.00 |
$12.00 |
1.84 |
1.125 |
| Nokia C2-01 |
$6.00 |
$9.00 |
1.15 |
0.525 |
The ultimate prices of the mobile phones are still more expensive than prices on the market. The US $1,440 total price for the iPhone 4S 32G for example doesn’t compare very well to the average $1,000 price around. But 24 months to pay is quite friendly and people that have been looking to buy a phone anyway will likely consider signing up.
This may change the game for those businesses that have been selling smartphones locally. When customers can get the mobile phones straight from the mobile operator on financed terms their market share will definitely start shrinking.
Here’s a link to the brochure we got the information from. The devices are not available yet on the Econet website page; the devices page that normally has such information is blank.
We would love to know what you think in the comments. Are you going to sign up for these deals?
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34 comments
I know someone is proably gonna come here and start blasting econet and what not but wow those are some amazing deals considering how infant Zims financing options for goods are. I’m definitely down for that Iphone 4!! Ofcourse I would like to now though how they will deal with/offer upgrades? iPhone 5 is out and maybe in 6months time when econet gets a hold of it I’d like to upgrade.
They are more on track now with how it’s meant to work. Well done Econet!!!
I’m one of those guys who simply loves to hate econet and all it’s products, I hate ecocash too, I find myself disappointed that after making millions of dollars the company now wants to aggressively sell handsets seriously , why now ? They have had the ability to buy handsets in bulk which would make them cheaper and offer such deals for a very long time, I hope Africom beats them to 4G LTE (long term evolution), I also hope that fake handsets get banned so that their number of subscribers gets reduced too.
Take it easy…
Good idea but a its still a rip off
I’m guessing @facebook-1594130891:disqus and @cd541dc50e3aaa66ec85b0ab980e8712:disqus both have Samsung S3 or iPhone 4S already? If you have the loot to buy a handset then this is not for you, for those of you earning a half decent salary and wanted an S3 or 4S but could never save up enough money then this is for you. Paying off something over a two year period has never been the same as buying with cash, choose what you want to do, Econet is simply giving you an option where some people didn’t have one.
+1
Haha +1
This is extortionate pricing. Zimbos open your eyes!
Its business, they are not your friend until you pay for something, and in business terms the extra you pay is for the luxury of owning what you want whilst not choking your budget. as you do it in a staggered manne. consider parting with a $1000 once off and $60 over a period.
I neither own GS3 or IPhone 4S why you associate me with those particular devices flatters me, I love windows phone I think it’s great and unique it’s fluid touch the tiles are fantastic,although the version before mango didn’t offer that many apps. Whats changed at econet over the last year that they only now wanna offer such deals and besides the GS3 the other devices can now be considered old, Asha series of nokia phones would have been more attractive, somehow I think someone got a tender to supply econet and is probably making a killing off I repeat old gadgets.
Econet as you know is not doing this out of the goodness of their hearts, revenues from airtime are probably not the same as in previous years and comparing to the number of subscribers they may have missed targets they wanted to meet, hence they decided to offer such.
@cd541dc50e3aaa66ec85b0ab980e8712:disqus or @cd541dc50e3aaa66ec85b0ab980e8712:disqus “I love windows phone I think it’s great and unique it’s fluid touch the tiles are fantastic” that would explain alot as to why you have issues, as for the jealousy of Econet’s success don’t you know jealousy makes you nasty… Tut tut
There is nothing wrong or inferior about windows phone, your assumption was that devices mentioned above are the must have’s I’m of the opinion that windows phone is a worthwhile gadget, and later on this month there will a lot more to choose from it’s growing slowly but surely.
As for econet well we know how I feel about them to hell with them…
I’m sure the Windows phone is nice, I’m an open source geek so I’m more an Android or nothing.
How is NetOne or Telecel treating you? I trust you’re happy!
Aaah! These Zim businesses should stop loading consumers with debt! On average people in Zim get paid $250 bucks. $80 bucks is like over 30% of their salary. So Econet maybe a beacon of success and morality but their deals are extortionate! Esp. considering iPhone 5 is retailing for $199 in USA! (iPhone 4 is now $99 since the launch of iPhone 5)
You have incomplete information: the iPhone is $199 on a 2-year contract! This is not very different from the Econet deal (except you don’t have to pay a $199 deposit). The onus is on the customer: obviously it’s not for everyone. For those who can’t afford to pay $1 000 up-front for a smartphone, this can be a good deal.
$199 wow, however may you also supply the contents of the 2 year contract you sign on your data plan and add up. How much is that?
The deals seem fair to me but I dont wanna be using the same phone for two years.
It would be more insightful to compare with say SA or Kenya.
From the surface it looks extortionist to me, but it is an alternative if you really want those phones. As a personal motto, I dont buy what I cannot afford (i.e. get into debt). Especially items of luxury.
Inspired to rip your world!…
Seriously two years? By the time u finish paying there will be six more Samsung devises and two more apple ones… This is a serious rip-off. I’d rather pay R600 and go to SA to get mine cheap, and import (duty free) another two for sale…
FYI SA has such two year arrangements if you opt for contract. It is no different in the US. You cant compare contract arrangements and cash purchases.
All these people who are complaining should appreciate they are not the priority target market anyway. The launch was witnessed by the target market who can afford contracts that are open ended on usage, require a smartphone…what business communication would one effectively do with a Nokia Aisha seriously? The point to note is that the prices on a contract basis compare favourably considering its 2 year deal with voice and data which relevant people will definitely use up in a month. If you earn $250 then buy a gtide, stick to voice and go to a cafe for data. If u have cash, no one has stopped you from paying cash at whoever sells the smartphones. The other important point is whether the phones would be replaced every year like Cell C promises.
You can’t simply compare the $1,440 that you pay over two years with the $1,000 average price and then declare it expensive. You first need to find and add the interest on a a two year LOAN of $1,000 – then compare THAT with the $1,440. TIME VALUE OF MONEY: Economics 101!
not comparing with original value plus interest. comparing with original value. The cash price of the iPhone 4S used here is $1,360
The rest of the world is fleeing debt. Econet is having its genesis. People should also learn from the Hamilton Finance saga and the credit issues experienced when banks went on a frenzy giving people loans…who were buying cars and all
Still, its a consumer choice at the end. I hope Econet is responsible enough to offer debt counselling in advance.
Just handed in my forms, can’t wait… One thing that is not mentioned is that these deals come bundled with new lines which is where the “Bonus Data and Voice” is loaded onto, a bummer if you ask me, but not a deal breaker…
l like the web page very informative about ict world guys keep it up bt econet people need to reveal their deals thats ridiculous
I dont understand why some people feel that they need to defend a large organisation like econet as if it was a member of their family! The contracts are extortionate & anyone who is smart enough to afford them is also smart enough to realise that!
Ecorip off!
It seems the deals are OK, but if you are one of those people who hate debts (like me), you would be better off saving for a couple of months, then you just buy the phone with a once-off payment> besides, who would want to have the same phone for 2 years? count me out
seems like these deals are for civil servants only , not for the general public who are employed in the private sector, econet should be clear on that.
I ordered a Samsung Galaxy Tab and am waiting for the call to say it’s ready for collection. The experience was very impressive. Will send in more info when it all goes through. I was pleasantly surprised that as a contract customer I did not have to sign up for the extras so my cost per month was actually just for the unit.