Econet Wireless the largest telecoms firm in Zimbabwe has slashed the tariffs on calls to 5 international destinations to local rates. In adverts published in the local print press, the company announced that subscribers can now call South Africa, United Kingdom, USA, China and Canada at 24 cents per minute. The reduction is from rates ranging from about 31 cents to 48 cents per minute.
The tariff reduction follows a similar one by rival network, Telecel, which lasted just over a month. There’s no mention by Econet if this is a permanent reduction or just a promo. We suspect the latter; otherwise the news would have been broadcasted much louder than this. Econet itself ran a similar promo back in August last year to celebrate 14th year anniversary.
The reduction of international tariffs by any operator in Zimbabwe is no doubt a welcome move by subscribers as there’s a large number of Zimbabweans in the diaspora especially in the UK, South Africa, Australia and USA. In 2011, the number was estimated to be as high as 4 million people, which means lots of voice call traffic between Zimbabwe and these countries. Because of the high cost of regular phone calls however, most people who have access to the internet have resorted to cheaper tools of communication like Skype, WhatsApp and Facebook.
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8 comments
You suspect the later;
We suspect the latter;
Typos happen, no need to be abrasive about it. Especially since this might be case of the pot calling the kettle black. Not too long ago you said:
http://www.techzim.co.zw/2013/02/webhosting-on-a-dime/#comment-800709879
fixed. 😉
Not a really a big issue.I read and understood the article without even noticing it. I normally check the comments section to look for more insight inot the article content than typos!
LSM Below has fixed it, i guess he saw it fit to do so.
Typos need to be highlighted and fixed. Its part of quality control. Lets all help each other become world class.
I think whatsapp has or will change the game. Sending a text message is now not feasible with the costs involved. Only businesses will benefit as they still need to send notifications (bank OTPs, service related issues, etc) or adverts for those who still love them. I still have no idea why SMS’s are so expensive in this day and age. Still Econet customers wont burn a hole in their pockets by calling SA than us calling Zimbabwe.
Rubbish.The local rates are already exhorbitant.