POTRAZ announced their Long-Run Average Increment Cost (LRIC) where they made some cool announcement. Out of bundle data browsing is dropping massively:
The Out of bundle mobile data charges threshold shall be reduced from the current 12.5 cents per Megabyte to 5 cents per Megabyte exclusive to of all taxes. This applies to internet/data that is used outside the WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter bundles among others.
This is a massive drop and amounts to a 60% slash. What it means is; where 10 megabytes used to cost $1.25 it will now cost 50c. $1.25 actually now gets you 25 megabytes or two and a half times the amount you used to get.
It’s also important to note that these are the data prices before taxes are added, which means if for example there is a VAT of 15% added to the pricing it will be added on to the new price of 5c.
Do you browse out-of-bundle?
This is a great announcement but it’s not as big a deal since most people don’t really use out-of-bundle browsing to begin with. On the bright-side it will ensure that those frustrating incidents when you top up your airtime and before you can even subscribe to anything a few (or many-depending on what’s happening in the background) cents are already taken away from you.
This will only apply to Econet since the Telecel and NetOne don’t have an out-of-bundle browsing option. The new tarrifs shall take effect from the 1st of July this year. Basically a few days from now.
Quick NetOne, Telecel, Africom, Econet Airtime Recharge
The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe POTRAZ) is the regulatory authority of Zimbabwe's telecommunications sector and was established in terms of the country's Postal and Telecommunications Act Chapter 12:05. POTRAZ was established in February 2001 Read More About POTRAZ
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So the total cost per MB is 7,5c?
No – the cost is 5c, a drop of 7.5c which amounts to 60% of 12.5c
including taxes its 7,5c / mb?
was this in agreement with service providers or there is no need for that, otherwise the data will be difficult to use, downloads not working and so on and so forth….have seen this movie before
You are very correct,we will start to see slow speeds,on the other hand Telecel,Netone and Telone wil be the first to adjust cause they owned by government just to frustrate Econet.
Potraz is a regulator not a mediator! They make decisions and enforce them. Wether the decisions are right or wrong is a different story.
Internet is now almost a basic human right according to UN. Your way of thinking means only those with money can have the preveledge of accessing internet.
MNOs needs to make sure that their networks are upto to the job. Most MNOs is other countries over- provision their bandwidth capacity for sudden demand not planned for but in Zim all the MNOs under-provision their bandwidth and ar never able to meet even the minimun demand
Still too much, we want $1 for 100mb.
I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon…
Why note
There are many people who use out-of-bundle browsing, especially post-paid subscribers. Your reality as a pre-paid subscriber doesn’t apply to us all. Telecel has bundles for post-paid subscribers, but if you don’t see the notification that it’s finished, you’ll now be charged the default “premium” rates. It is thus very welcome development.
Further to that, you shouldn’t discount it as “not as big a deal” because the pricing of bundles takes into consideration the normal data pricing. Ideally, this should result in bundle prices falling, or the bundle capacity increasing, sometime in the future.
Even if bundle prices don’t fall, it sets a baseline for the next tariff cut. Remember that not everyone wants to have to buy a bundle for X, Y and Z. Reduced tariffs mean you can live a bundle free life, without commiting airtime to specific services via bundles. All too often you find pre-paid folks with zero calling airtime, but have FB or WhatApp bundles. When they need to communicate with someone not on WhatsApp, they get stuck or become a problem to others who have the airtime ;).
We should be moving towards cheaper internet without depending on bundles. I’m sorry to say, but bundles are a poor way of operating. You should just be able to put a line in your phone and be good to go, without having to know short codes for buying/converting bundles.
Heading the correct direction but not there yet. All these bundles rubbish must end and give people one simplified internet access package.
Congestion can easily solved by implementing a full 4G network not these 3.5G network they have and claim its 4G
Its a relief. I use a goat phone which goes on net i hardly use it to phone. If a dollar goes for 25mb then i can be online for almost a month using face book too on opera 4.2 amd even reading every article here