Telecel hasn’t launched anything in a while. In a very long while. They have been quiet in their corner while other companies released new stuff (in the case of NetOne) or complained about not being allowed to release new stuff (in Econet’s case).
So you can imagine our surprise and pleasure today when we received an email from Telecel today announcing the launch of new data bundles called MegaBoost. Pleasure because we think this is a really good deal for a lot of data users in Zimbabwe.
Essentially MegaBoost bundles are about providing affordable access to WhatsApp and the rest of the internet. Telecel are being particular here that in Zimbabwe, there’s WhatsApp and there’s everything else. And so MegaBoost has emphasis on making WhatsApp available. At least I think $5 for unlimited WhatsApp is a good deal.
Here are all the MegaBoost bundles:
| 50 Cents Bundle | $1 Bundle | $2 Bundle | $5 Bundle | $10 Bundle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5Mb | 30Mb | 60 Mb | Unlimited | Unlimited | |
| N/A | 20Mb | 30Mb | 100Mb | 200Mb | |
| Rest of the Internet | 20Mb | 50Mb | 150 Mb | 350 Mb | 1Gb |
| Calls to Telecel numbers | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 30 minutes | 60 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Calls to other networks | 2 mins | 4 minutes | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 25 minutes |
| SMS | 10 | 15 | 30 | 125 | 150 |
| Bundle valid for | 24 hours | 24 hours | 48 hours | 1 month | 1 month |
To buy MegaBoost bundles use USSD code *480#
If you’re wondering how they compare to NetOne’s OneFusion and Econet WhatsApp bundles, read this article on the revised OneFusion bundles ($5 is 700MB of WhatsApp) and this broad comparison of WhatsApp and Facebook bundles in Zimbabwe.
To be clear though, comparison really is a case of apples and oranges. Ultimately, what’s important is how much Facebook and Twitter matter to you individually. If they do matter a lot, then Telecel’s MegaBoost bundles are not for you. However if communicating and sharing on WhatsApp feels adequate, that $5 bundle is quite attractive.
BTW I think only the $5 and $10 MegaBoost bundles are worth looking at. Below that I’d feel robbed.
Telecel’s WhatsApp bet might pay off. In fact I’m confident it will, but I may be misreading people’s preferences in apps, so we’ll see.
The important thing, which unfortunately Telecel doesn’t say in today’s announcement, is what the cap on this “unlimited” is. That there’s a cap is not to be doubted however. It’s just better for Telecel to be transparent and upfront with the Fair Usage Policy (just a fancy acronym for the cap on unlimited products 😉 )
That said, I’m assuming POTRAZ relaxed the freeze on data promos by MNOs, otherwise how would Telecel launch this. And how would Econet launch yesterday’s promo.
Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, And Econet Airtime Recharge
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