(Updated) Telecel & Netone Introduce New Voice & Text Tariffs

Like any other sector in Zimbabwe, the telecoms industry is being forced to adjust its pricing in line with the everchanging economic reality characterized by rising inflation and the loss of value of the Zim Dollar. So, Netone and Telecel have followed in the footsteps of Econet in increasing voice, SMS and data tariffs. The new tariffs will start to take effect from today onwards. Here are Telecel’s new tariffs:

Here are Netone’s new tarrifs, which not only include local voice tarrifs but even international tarrifs as well:

Just like the old Telecel tariffs, the new tariffs make it cheaper to call other networks (offnet) than call its own network (on-net). And so are Netone’s tariffs as well-it’s cheaper to call other networks than calling its own network.

Logically, one would expect a mobile network operator to make on-net calls cheaper that off-net calls so that it acquires new users but Netone and Telecel defied the logic. I avoided speculating why Netone and Telecel are doing this so I reached out to Netone asking why on-net calls are expensive relative to off-net calls and they are reply us. So I’ll update the article later in the day.

Anyway, both Telecel and Netone’s voice call tariffs are surprisingly higher than Econet. When it comes SMSs, all Mobile Network Operatiors have the same price, $0.24 cents. And on the out-of-bundle tariffs, Netone offers cheapest, followed by Telecel and lastly Econet.

Update: Econet’s tariffs aren’t lower than those of NetOne and Telecel. Econet had mistakenly announced lower tariffs yesterday but have now updated those tariffs and they are similar.